Using clickers for clinical reasoning and problem solving.

This project explored how an audience response system (clickers), combined with case-based questions, resulted in increased student engagement, attention, and participation in an introductory clinical nursing course. Clicker questions and ensuing discussion were designed to enable students to practice reasoning through patient situations before entering the clinical setting. Findings suggest that nuanced discussion of all possible answers encouraged students to think more deeply about their initial answers and opened them up to new reasoning processes.

Quality of life for children with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses: description and evaluation of a regional, collaborative model for pediatric palliative care.

The care of children in the U.S. with life-limiting illnesses is inadequate.

Ensuring NCLEX-RN success for first-time test-takers.

A major indicator of baccalaureate nursing program effectiveness is the pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examinations, Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) among first-time candidates. This article highlights the scope, instructional methods, and outcomes of the remediation program at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies (GU-NHS). With implementation of the multifaceted program, the NCLEX-RN pass rate for first-time takers at GU-NHS has been consistently above the national mean among all first-time candidates.

Tobacco and its trendy alternatives: implications for pediatric nurses.

Although acute and critical care pediatric nurses may not rank tobacco prevention and cessation among their top patient-care priorities, the importance of providing health education, especially during vulnerable moments, cannot be overlooked. This article provides an overview of trendy tobacco alternatives, such as bidis, clove cigarettes, hookah pipes, and smokeless tobacco, that entice youth. The significant health consequences of these tobacco products and the implications for pediatric acute and critical care nursing practice are also discussed.

Surviving the perfect storm: staff perceptions of mandatory overtime.

Historically, mandatory overtime has been used to provide adequate staffing in times of crisis; however, as a result of today's severe nursing shortage, hospitals and other healthcare institutions are more commonly using mandatory overtime as a daily management tool to meet staffing requirements. This practice has created turmoil between management and staff in providing quality healthcare. Nursing literature describing staff nurses' views of overtime is limited.