Graduate student seminars as a faculty development activity.

Because most new nurse academicians are prepared as expert clinicians, rather than as educators, they lack the skills and knowledge of effective teachers when they accept a position in an educational institution. In this article, the authors discuss a program in which graduate students being prepared as entry-level nurse educators have the opportunity to practice the art and science of teaching in a supervised environment in which seminar participants are their peers, novice faculty, and seasoned faculty. Teaching seminars conducted by graduate students are a successful component of faculty development in teaching.

An examination of adherence strategies and challenges in poison control communication.

Introduction: The principal objective of this study was to characterize how nurses and pharmacists at a poison control center (PCC) determine the likelihood of caller adherence to a health care facility referral.

Methods: A focus group was conducted with 6 nurses and 4 pharmacists from a regional PCC. Content analysis was used to determine themes within the discussion.

Transition from the classroom to the Web: successful strategies for teaching online.

Online courses are an integral part of nursing education programs.The responsibility for developing and teaching asynchronous online courses can be challenging, especially for neophyte educators. Two experienced educators discuss strategies for developing and enhancing selected aspects of asynchronous online courses.

Essentials of neophyte mentorship in relation to the faculty shortage.

Given the nursing faculty shortage, innovative strategies are needed to attract and retain talented individuals in the academic setting. Mentoring programs have a positive effect on nursing clinicians turned educators. A successful mentoring relationship guides the neophyte educator into a successful teaching career through better adjustment and professional academic advancement.

A web-based breastfeeding education program.

Two Web-based breastfeeding programs were developed to provide new parents with necessary information on proper breastfeeding techniques. One version was plain text and the other version combined text with graphics. The computer was viewed as a valuable learning tool.

Patient education workshop on CD-ROM: an innovative approach for staff education.

This article describes an innovative patient education workshop on CD-ROM for use by staff educators and patient education coordinators. The CD-ROM allows nurses to gain an in-depth understanding of patient education practice. With the interactive, computerized format, nurses can complete the workshop on their computers and at their convenience.