Effects of a senior practicum course on nursing students' confidence in speaking up for patient safety.

As patient advocates, nurses are responsible for speaking up against unsafe practices. Nursing students must develop the confidence to speak up for patient safety so that they can hold themselves, as well as their peers and coworkers, accountable for patients' well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a senior practicum course on confidence for speaking up for patient safety in nursing students.

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.