The academic dismissal of a nursing student for obesity raises questions about the basis for determining compliance with performance contracts and faculty responsibility for protecting student privacy. The case demonstrates the importance of clearly defined expectations and the need to respect privacy concerns. (SK)

An Israeli sample of 378 students and 251 practitioners in occupational therapy (OT), social work, nursing, physical therapy, and clinical psychology completed Kolb's Learning Style Inventory. Findings suggest greater variance in learning style among students. OT students were least abstract. Both OT students and practitioners were predominantly…

Examined Medicaid spenddown among nursing home residents from 72 Wisconsin facilities. Found only small proportion of discharges had spent down to Medicaid eligibility, but this group's long stays contributed heavily to nursing home days. Estimated over 40 percent of those who spent down did so within six months, 58 percent within a year, and 76…

Conducted longitudinal study of 196 caregiver/care receiver dyads to determine variables predictive of caregiver decision to institutionalize dependent with dementia. Use of services, enjoyment of caregiving, caregiver burden and health, caregiver rating and reaction to care receiver behavior and memory problems, and presence of troublesome…

Responses from 31 nursing faculty and the managers of nursing units in which their students' practices differed significantly in perceptions of communication. A significant positive correlation appeared between organizational climate, communication, and role strain. Role strain and communication were also correlated with length of time in the…

Focuses of the alienation felt by women in the schools that educate students for the caring professions (education and nursing). Discusses how a potential source of infusion of feminist values into the dominant institution can be lost. (NB)

This study examined how depressed and nondepressed nursing home residents differed on measures of frequency of daily activity involvement and accompanying affect. Interviews indicated the groups differed significantly on frequency of activity involvement and affect. Depressed subjects spent large portions of time watching television. Nondepressed…

Describes efforts undertaken by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and the Barbados Community College to establish an international program in nursing. Also discusses program goals, faculty certification, and funding. (JOW)

A capstone leadership course for students working toward a bachelor of science in nursing degree is designed to integrate traditional community-health nursing with leadership to foster the development of community-based competencies for the future. (JOW)

A nursing school-middle school project included (1) health education for middle schoolers by teachers assisted by nursing students/faculty and (2) middle schoolers' community service in health facilities with student nurses/mentors. Compared with 95 controls, 57 nursing student participants showed increased skills, comfort with, and knowledge of…

Comparison of traditional teaching methods and Web-based modules used in a class of 96 graduate nursing students showed that conventional methods were rated significantly higher in terms of content, interaction, participation, and faculty preparation. Technical skills were higher for the Web materials. Although there were no significant…

The impact of moving out of nursing homes into community-based settings was assessed by comparing the health, community functioning, and lifestyle satisfaction of 67 movers and 165 nonmovers. Movers showed benefits of improved health, community functioning, and increased life satisfaction. Age of the residents did not influence effects. (CR)

Budget cuts lead to demands for "teaching smarter," which means larger classes, less student-contact time, more technological delivery, and student self-direction. However, social interaction is essential for learning, and intellectual independence does not happen automatically. Genuine commitment to facilitating adult learning and more…

Nursing students (n=45) using problem-based learning (PBL) strongly felt increased tension both in making the transition to PBL from traditional forms of education and in the conflict between students' desire for knowledge acquisition and the less concrete outcomes of PBL. (SK)

In a clinical skills center, nurses, doctors, and specialists helped nursing and medical students develop clinical and communication skills in the context of holistic patient care. Two aspects of the format received high ratings: realistic patient scenarios and interdisciplinary team teaching. (SK)