Interviews with 10 faculty participating in a collaborative bachelors' degree program involving 5 nursing schools identified elements of the program's success: initial agreement, faculty control, initial curriculum focus, management of ambiguity, iterative process, objective facilitation, institutional autonomy, and assertive conflict management.…

An introductory nursing course was evaluated with data from 126 participants. Most believed that process outcomes such as confidence, motivation, sense of achievement, and reflective practice were most valuable for future studies and clinical decision making. The course would be valuable to help traditionally trained nurses gain new higher…

A multicultural awareness scale completed by 72 nursing students obtained a Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of .91. An expert panel analyzed content validity and the revised scale was completed by 118 students. Factor analysis supported the measure's construct validity. (Contains 30 references.) (SK)

Describes the development of a guide for evaluating content of nursing instructional materials, including the gender, ethnicity, and multicultural inclusion models used. Outlines six categories of bias: invisibility/omission, stereotyping, imbalance, selectivity, unreality, fragmentation/isolation, and linguistic bias. (Contains 38 references.)…

In New Orleans, nursing faculty and students partnered with inner-city schools and churches to mobilize neighborhood assets and improve health care. Students learned community assessment skills and worked with empowered citizens who reclaimed their health resources. (Contains 28 references.) (SK)

Grounded-theory based research involved interviews with 41 distance education nursing students and 22 tutors and 24 tutorial and 69 field observations. A key theme was students' development of academic voice in the support relationship with tutors. This voice helped them manage learning and determine what kinds of help tutors should give.…

Explains the concepts of academic misconduct, due process rights, and the implicit contract between students and the university. Discusses ways to incorporate due process in nursing school course catalogs, course requirements, evaluation methods, and grievance procedures. (SK)

Uses situated abstraction to understand nurses' conceptions of intensive quantity of drug concentration. Explores nurses' conceptions to undertake a pointed examination of the degree of situatedness of nurses' knowledge and reasoning. Demonstrates that nurses' conceptions were abstracted within their practice when they coordinated mathematical…

The psychometric analyses of a previous study of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale were replicated in a study with 111 female nursing and medical educators. Results support the previous findings challenging the proposed theoretical structure but supporting the reliable measurement of some as-yet-unclear dimension by the instrument. (SLD)

Fourteen nursing students in Wales reported on their use of accreditation of prior learning (APL) to obtain credit. Most had difficulty reflecting on prior learning and maintaining motivation over the length of the process. APL was felt to be worthwhile; students developed self-esteem, reflective writing skills, and greater appreciation for…

A model for reflective self-study by nursing faculty includes three phases: assessment (being open to critique, finding collaborative partners, formulating research questions); implementation (understanding validation criteria, choosing data collection and analysis methods, maintaining data integrity); and dissemination (communicating findings,…

A second-degree options program enables entry to a master's nursing program with a bachelor's degree in a nonnursing discipline. Of 95 completers, 94 passed the licensing exam and all became certified nurse practitioners. Keys to effectiveness included admitting goal-directed students, using 12-month calendar, integrating into existing curricula,…

Explores the origins of clinical competence assessment in nursing education and reviews two British research projects. Finds little evidence of systematic approaches to competence assessment and no evidence of instrument reliability and validity. Expresses concern that it poses a barrier to the education of nurses. (SK)

Responses from 95 Scottish nursing programs (54.7%) revealed consensus about the importance of working with families. There were no differences between academic levels and knowledge bases regarding family nursing theory. Professional development for teaching family nursing was needed. (Contains 57 references.) (SK)

Of 138 British nursing students, those who had cared for people with AIDS had more positive attitudes. Older age and reluctance to care for people with AIDS were associated with homophobia. Being female, older, or having children was associated with more cautious attitudes about risk behaviors. (Contains 53 references.) (SK)