An evaluation tool to measure interdisciplinary critical incident verbal reports.

Aim: The aim was to develop a tool that educators can use to evaluate whether student interdisciplinary critical incident reports are effective.

Background: Graduate nurses are expected to give physicians concise reports on patient problems. Educators need a method to evaluate whether student reports are effective.

Using online exercises and patient simulation to improve students' clinical decision-making.

Faced with increasingly complex clinical situations, nurses must respond with accurate clinical judgment. But del Bueno (2005) reports that only 35 percent of new graduate nurses exhibit entry-level expectations of the necessary critical-thinking skills. Croskerry (2003) argues that clinicians' education should be directed at developing cognitive strategies that reduce errors in clinical decision-making.

Nursing students' perceptions of the effect on critical thinking, assessment, and learner satisfaction in simple versus complex high-fidelity simulation scenarios.

This comparative study with high-fidelity simulation measured students' perceptions of the learning effectiveness of two different levels of assignments (simple vignettes versus complex scenarios). The assignments were evaluated on critical thinking, assessment, and learner satisfaction with the teaching method. No significant difference was found between the means of the simple versus complex assignments on any of the three variables or the total score.

Combining simulation, instructor-produced videos, and online discussions to stimulate critical thinking in nursing students.

Combining the use of several different types of technology enables an instructor to develop teaching methods to address a specific problem area that students encounter and can greatly affect student learning. This article discusses a program that was developed that utilized SimMan, instructor-produced videos, and online discussion to stimulate critical thinking in beginning-level nursing students. The goal was to make the student aware of the importance of an initial thorough assessment of a client.

Incorporating interprofessional communication skills (ISBARR) into an undergraduate nursing curriculum.

The AACN, in their 2008 Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice, recommends that colleges of nursing faculty incorporate competencies into their baccalaureate curriculum that focus on the development of professional communication skills. The authors provide a plan to incorporate a standardized communication tool (ISBARR) throughout all levels of an undergraduate curriculum.

Lymphedema: an under-treated problem.

Lymphedema may affect patients who have had a disease, surgery, or treatments on the lymphatic system. Patient education stressing prevention and early identification of symptoms is essential in controlling this problem.

When orientation ends ... supporting the new nurse who is struggling to succeed.

A new nurse is often left with little support from peers after the orientation period is over. To encourage and support the nurse, a program was developed that used a second preceptor ("buddy") on the shift following the new nurse. Outcomes from this program included the following: new registered nurses received more positive feedback, teamwork between shifts improved, and problems with a new graduate were reported to management sooner and led to earlier interventions.

English-as-a-second language (ESL) nursing students: strategies for building verbal and written language skills.

With the growing number of foreign-born residents in the United States, nurse educators face the challenge of educating students who may have difficulty with the English language. There are an estimated 28.4 million foreign-born residents in the United States, which is the largest number in the history of this country (U.