The Effects of Clinical Exposure on Examination Performance of Nursing Students.

Background: Timing of didactic theoretical content with clinical experiences can be challenging due to limited clinical placements and insufficient experienced faculty. However, appropriate and timely clinical experiences for nursing students are essential for developing knowledge and skills. This project evaluated the effects of the timing of clinical experiences on examination performance.

Examination of the Relationship Between Clinical Hours and NCLEX Success.

Background: Clinical education provides important learning opportunities for students. Finding clinical sites and faculty can be a challenge. Exploring the relationship between the number of clinical practice hours and NCLEX-RN success may be helpful for curriculum development and revision.

Heat Metrics and Maternal-Child Health Diagnoses in Emergency Departments in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Objective: To summarize current research on associations between heat metrics and emergency department discharge diagnoses for US pregnant women and children from birth to age 18 via a scoping review.

Background: Climate change directly contributes to extreme weather conditions and environmental changes and indirectly affects health and the health care system. Pregnant women and children are believed to be more susceptible to extreme heat, but few empirical studies have been conducted evaluating effects of heat metrics on these populations.

The Role of the School Nurse in Addressing Climate-Associated Illnesses: Heat.

Extremely hot or humid days are anticipated to continue, occur more often, and intensify over time. School-age children are especially vulnerable to extreme heat. The primary acute health effects of heat on children can range from heat exhaustion to heatstroke.

Common Skin Infections in High School Athletes and the Role of the School Nurse.

Skin infections in high school athletes pose a risk of transmission to other student athletes. Therefore, it is important to promptly identify possible skin infections and refer them to the healthcare provider for treatment so athletes can return to play quickly and with little interruption to the team. Common skin infections include bacterial infections such as Streptococcus and Staphylococcus, viral infections such as herpes simplex and molluscum contagiosum, and fungal infections such as tinea corporis and capitis.

"Make-up" Examinations: Comparison of on-Time and Late Examination Student Scores.

Background: Nursing faculty may have concerns about unfair advantages and inflated examination grades when students take an examination late.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to compare make-up examination scores with on-time examination scores to determine whether scores were higher in students who took an examination late.

Methods: A descriptive, comparative study using retrospective examination scores from a large nursing program was analyzed.

Evaluation of Dog Presence as a Therapeutic Classroom Intervention.

Background: The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has called on nurse educators to increase mental health support for nursing students. Animal visit programs reduce stress, anxiety, and negative mental health feelings; however, most are intermittent and occasional. This pilot study explored the feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes of integrating a therapy dog into the classroom.

Anxiety and Answer-Changing Behavior in Nursing Students.

Background: Anxiety in college students, including nursing students, has increased significantly and has been implicated as a cause of lower academic achievement and answer-changing behavior. This study investigated the relationship between student anxiety and answer-changing behaviors.

Method: One hundred thirty-one nursing students from a large midwestern baccalaureate nursing program were enrolled in a quasiexperimental prospective research study.

Celiac Disease and Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction: What School Nurses Need to Know.

Abdominal pain and discomfort are common reasons students visit the school health office. Abdominal pain, in children, may be related to gastrointestinal conditions such as celiac disease (CD) or disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs). Both CD and DGBIs, formerly known as functional abdominal pain disorders, are both prevalent in the pediatric population.

Deaths From Drug Overdoses What School Nurses Need to Know.

Drug overdose deaths in pre-teen and adolescent students have risen over the past several years, causing increasing concerns in our society, along with concerns over the rise in availability of more counterfeit pills and illegally manufactured fentanyl. School nurses interface regularly with pre-teen and adolescent students and therefore are in a position to recognize students at risk for illicit drug use and provide important education to students, staff, parents, and the community. The purpose of this article is to briefly discuss risk factors for opioid misuse and to provide recommendations for interventions school nurses can use, including collaboration with other school and community leaders, to help prevent opioid overdose and death in pre-teen and adolescence.

Minor Skin Injuries at School: The Role of the School Nurse.

School nurses routinely provide simple wound care for minor injuries in the school health office. Simple wound care is centered on the principles of moist wound care and only requires a few supplies to be on hand. This article outlines the steps for simple wound care for minor abrasions, cuts, blisters, and burns.

Increasing Faculty Resources and Student Capacity Through Shared Faculty Expertise.

Background: The ongoing nurse faculty shortage has resulted in a need for schools of nursing to become both innovative and creative in their approach to nursing education. A literature review revealed some schools of nursing across the United States are sharing faculty for undergraduate and pre-licensure nursing programs.

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot project was to explore the effectiveness of a shared faculty content expert in a live-streamed lecture modality to improve nursing schools' access to high quality specialty content.

A Longitudinal View of Perceptions of Entering Nursing Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed the landscape of health care and transition to practice for new graduates. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the effects of the pandemic on the first-year experience of new nurses. Method A longitudinal, observational, descriptive study design was used.

Staying of Head Lice: Pediculosis Treatment Updates.

Pediculosis (head lice) infections are one of the more sensitive issues that may involve the school nurse. In the 3- to 11-year-old age group in the United States, head lice infections are common and can elicit anxiety in students, parents, and school personnel. Head lice do not transmit any communicable diseases and therefore exclusion from school and "no nit" policies are not warranted.

Laboratory Testing in the School Setting: Are You CLIA Compliant?

Nurses are qualified to design, manage, supervise, and deliver health care in a public health setting such as the school. Considering this, school nurses should understand regulations necessary to aid in the care of children, especially related to point-of-care laboratory testing for the assessment and treatment of health conditions. The pandemic and resulting mitigation strategy of COVID-19 testing adopted by some schools, has raised questions about the need for school nurses to comply with the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA).

Evaluation of a Brief Mindfulness Intervention on Examination Anxiety and Stress.

Background: Nursing students report increasing levels of stress and anxiety related to academic performance. Mindfulness programs have been found to reduce stress, yet such programs have been identified as a time-burden for students. This study evaluated the integration of a brief preexamination mindfulness reflective intervention for nursing students.

Preparedness to Write Items for Nursing Education Examinations: A National Survey of Nurse Educators.

Background: Nursing programs in the United States primarily use multiple-choice questions to prepare students for the NCLEX.

Background: Nursing programs in the United States primarily use multiple-choice questions to prepare students for the NCLEX. Currently, the optional next-generation NCLEX is testing the validity and reliability of situational case studies.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children and COVID-19 Infections.

The arrival of SARS-Co-V-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) has brought not only the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic but also the development of a cluster of symptoms known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Information regarding the long-term implications of COVID-19 infections in children, as well as MIS-C, is scarce and is emerging on an almost daily basis. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the recent literature regarding COVID-19 and MIS-C, a Kawasaki-like inflammatory syndrome that developed in children around the same time the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Assessment of Answer-Changing Behavior of Nursing Students and Faculty Recommendations.

Background: Existing literature identifies a general positive benefit to students' examination scores when students change their answer on examinations. Current shifts toward computerized examinations and in test anxiety warrant a literature update on test-taking behaviors.

Purpose: This study assessed answer changing on multiple-choice examinations and investigated faculty recommendations related to answer changing.

What Is "Hot" and What Is Not: Thermometers and Fever Control.

The purpose of this article is to review and help identify the advantages and disadvantages of different types of thermometers available for use and to provide guidance on fever education for the otherwise healthy child in the community and school health population. The measurement of body temperature is an essential part of standard medical care that monitors patient status, response to treatment, and helps gauge the severity and progression of disease. There are multiple types of thermometers on the market and each has advantages and disadvantages related to infection control measures, cost, and ease of use.

A Pilot of a Brief Positive Parenting Program on Children Newly Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Disruptive behaviors can be of comparable or greater concern to parents than the core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Provision of effective interventions to address these behaviors within the first year of initial diagnosis holds great potential for improving the child's, parents', and family's functioning. We piloted a four-session, manualized, positive parenting program on 21 parents of newly diagnosed children ages 2 through 12 years using a mixed methods design.

Crossing the "line": College students and academic integrity in nursing.

Background: Researchers have shown a relationship between academic integrity in the classroom and acts of dishonest behavior in the clinical setting which is concerning for nursing faculty and the health care field.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes toward academic integrity and the frequency of behaviors related to academic dishonesty in nursing and non-nursing students at a religiously affiliated institution.

Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used to collect data regarding the knowledge, behavior, perceptions, and attitudes related to academic integrity via an online survey.

Views of the United States healthcare system: Findings from documentary analysis of an interprofessional education course.

As the healthcare system of the United States becomes more complex, collaboration among health professionals is becoming an essential aspect in improving the health of individuals and populations. An interprofessional education course entitled "Health Care System and Health Promotion" was developed to allow health profession students to work and learn together about issues related to healthcare delivery, health promotion, and the effect of policy issues on key stakeholders in the system. A qualitative document analysis research design was used to evaluate the effect of this interprofessional course on students' views of the current healthcare system of the United States.