Between administrations of a test, 36 nursing students were given a practice test and answer key that provided feedback; 30 were not. Those who performed poorly on the test were more overconfident about answers to hard questions. This judgment bias can be reduced by providing feedback about their performance and confidence. (Contains 54…

Interviews with 40 nursing students in clinical practice and 20 staff nurses showed that both groups identified close student-staff relationships as key components in clinical education. Role perception, staff characteristics, and the workplace environment influenced these relationships and student learning. Collegial relationships were important…

Presents a model for revision of nurse practitioner curricula that has three components: (1) curriculum goals; (2) health policy and state regulation; and (3) community needs and demands. Describes data sources for the revision process: current students, graduates, faculty, community, and federal, state, and local agencies. (SK)

Responses from 41 of 66 nursing schools showed that occupational health is taught in 88% of nursing diploma and 80% of nursing degree programs. However, the majority focus on nurses' own occupational safety and health, not how patients' health can be affected by work or can affect the ability to work. (SK)

Describes the work of a task force to revise public health nursing curriculum that combined the expertise of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and specialty organizations. Discusses the current state of community/public health nursing and the model used to identify core professional knowledge and values underpinning the curriculum.…

The way in which a collaborative distance-education program in nursing influenced the field dependence/independence of students was studied with 246 nursing students from Hong Kong. Students became more field independent, perhaps as a result of the self-directed learning environment of the distance-learning program. (SLD)

A survey of 69 urban and 67 rural nursing school graduates indicated that students who attended programs focusing on rural areas were twice as likely to practice in those areas. Students' original place of residence also influenced their choice of practice area. (SK)

As affirmative-action programs undergo legal scrutiny, nursing education is challenged to develop policies to broaden participation without reliance on racial categories. The benefits of diversifying the nursing work force need not be discarded in response to judicial and political actions. (Author/SK)

A home study computer-assisted instructional program on the pharmacology of alcohol was completed by 18 advanced-practice nurses. Significant postprogram knowledge and self-efficacy gains diminished somewhat five months later, but were still higher than before the program. (SK)

Survey responses from 48 perinatal nurses found that most learned about medical devices by reading manuals; 75% had received inservice training; and 95% learned from other staff. Inadequate knowledge was related to fear of causing patient harm. Initial learning method influenced what was learned, and hands-on experience was considered efficacious.…

Using components of a work effectiveness model (information, support, resources, relationships), two elements of distance learning (technology and instruction) are described. Strategies for making interactive video invisible by managing equipment, planning ahead, and creating relationships are addressed. (SK)

Nurses in service fault beginning nurses' insufficient clinical and patient management skills. Nurse educators maintain that practicing nurses do not facilitate the transition of entry-level nurses. More collaboration between teachers and practitioners is needed. (Commentaries by Sally Glen, Patrick Crookes, and Pam Walter follow.) (SK)

Describes a method for analyzing learning that takes place through dialogue, which requires voice analysis and attention to the connection between speaker and speech and between speech parts and whole. Presents three stages of analysis: limiting the object of discussion, analyzing utterances, and identifying individual self-realization. (SK)

Presents findings from a recent field study in which ethnographic methods and social network theory were used to investigate the flow of human services information (HSI) among nurses, the elderly and other attendees at foot clinics. Discusses four categories of contextual factors in terms of their impact on participants' information behavior and…

A quality circle of four nursing students (student management team) represented class concerns to faculty at biweekly meetings. Students felt it increased their sense of course ownership and created a positive perception of faculty concern for their learning. (SK)