Impact of bed height on the biomechanics of healthcare professionals during chest compressions on the neonate: a descriptive pilot study.

Objectives: The biomechanics of the healthcare professionals (HCPs) performing the life-saving intervention of chest compressions in the neonatal population is poorly understood. The aim of this pilot study was to describe the variations in body position at a self-selected and a predetermined bed height during neonatal chest compressions. Measures of joint angles, time to postural sway and number of postural adjustments were chosen as indices for the stability of the HCP's position.

Identifying strengths and weaknesses in the utilization of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in a nursing program.

Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is used in nursing to assess students' transfer of classroom and laboratory learning experiences into simulated clinical practice. OSCE is a performance-based exam in which students are observed demonstrating a multitude of clinical behaviors. The purpose of this study was to identify strengths and weaknesses in the utilization of OSCE in this nursing program with 60 full-time students ages 21 to 23.

Developing a successful nursing Objective Structured Clinical Examination.

The evaluation of nursing students' clinical competencies is essential to the educational process. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) program was designed to assess students in a variety of health topics that may not be experienced during the assigned clinical rotation. Building on prior work, the purpose of this study was to examine specific aspects of the nursing OSCE toward developing a reliable and valid tool for evaluating selected students' clinical competencies.

Age-related loss of cardiac vagal preganglionic neurones in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Despite the findings that impaired vagal control of the heart rate occurs in human hypertension, leading to greater cardiovascular risk, the mechanism of this impairment is as yet unknown. Observations in humans and experiments in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) suggested that such impairment may be related to an anomaly in central vagal neurones. We therefore set out to determine whether the numbers and distribution of cardiac-projecting vagal preganglionic neurones in the medulla of adult (12 week) hypertensive SHR are different from those in young (4 week) prehypertensive SHR and in age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats of two age groups.

Evaluation of undergraduate students using Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation.

This study proposed to develop an Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE) for senior undergraduate nursing students. This evaluation process uses a simulated and standardized format to measure synthesis of knowledge and clinical skills. The benefit of OSCE is that it provides a formative evaluation for both students and the educational institute.