Muslim transplant recipients' family experiences following organ transplantation.

Background: Despite the importance of family and its relationship to positive transplant outcomes, little is known about family experiences following organ transplantation from the perspective of the transplant recipients. The literature is also devoid of information that describes the family experiences of Muslim transplant recipients.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to describe Muslim transplant recipients' family experiences following organ transplantation.

Using simulation to improve the medication administration skills of undergraduate nursing students.

Aim: This quasi-experimental pilot study examined simulation methods to improve nursing students' medication calculation and administration abilities.

Background: Approximately 25 percent of junior-level students in the nursing program who took a medication administration exam (MAE) failed in their first attempt. It was theorized that simulation could facilitate their success.

Constructivist philosophy and nursing student medication calculations.

Prelicensure nursing students often have difficulty performing medication calculations (MCs). Faculty at one baccalaureate nursing program wanted to use nursing theory to guide the development of a teaching-learning approach related to MC's. Finding little theory related to the topic of MCs, a constructivist-based teaching-learning approach was used instead.

Critical thinking skills of basic baccalaureate and Accelerated second-degree nursing students.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe the critical thinking (CT) skills of basic baccalaureate (basic-BSN) and accelerated second-degree (ASD) nursing students at nursing program entry.

Background: Many authors propose that CT in nursing should be viewed as a developmental process that increases as students' experiences with it change. However, there is a dearth of literature that describes basic-BSN and ASD students' CT skills from an evolutionary perspective.

Characterization of organic chemical contaminants in sediments from Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico.

Jobos Bay, located on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico, contains a variety of habitats including mangroves, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The watershed surrounding the bay includes a number of towns, agricultural areas, and the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Jobos Bay and the surrounding watershed are part of a Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), involving the Jobos Bay NERR, the US Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to assess the benefits of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) on the terrestrial and marine environments.

The effect of context on nursing student math aptitude.

Math proficiency is a prerequisite to the performance of many nursing functions, including medication calculations, but many nursing students have difficulty performing this basic clinical skill. Research has demonstrated that math aptitude alone does not fully explain student outcomes on medication calculation assessments (MCAs), and contextual factors associated with reading and interpreting written medication questions are important for nurse educators to better understand. Reading and English aptitude are proposed as two potential contextual factors that may help explain the nursing student's ability to pass a written MCA.

Ethnic minority baccalaureate nursing student academic dismissal: a description of the antecedent academic characteristics.

Dismissal for academic reasons from a baccalaureate nursing (BSN) program is a phenomenon that has rarely been discussed in the literature, and, as a result, little is known about the academic characteristics of the students who are dismissed. Presently, minority students that have been admitted to BSN programs are less likely to graduate from their respective nursing programs than White BSN students are, but whether or not ethnic minority student attrition is due to academic dismissal has not been clearly described. In addition, the antecedent academic characteristics that may identify minority BSN students at high risk for academic dismissal are not fully understood.

Nursing student math aptitude and success on a medication calculation assessment.

The authors describe the relationship between nursing student math aptitude and success on a medication calculation assessment given during the second year of the nursing curriculum. The importance of understanding this relationship to nursing education is highlighted.

Use of aptitude to understand bachelor of science in nursing student attrition and readiness for the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse.

Attrition is a serious issue among Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students with attrition rates around 50% nationwide. To help minimize BSN student attrition, many nursing programs use commercially available standardized nursing aptitude tests as adjuncts to scholastic aptitude data, usually operationalized as pre-nursing grade point average, to select students for admission. Little is known regarding the usefulness of scholastic and nursing aptitude data for predicting long-term retention in a BSN program and readiness for the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN).

Faculty role modeling of professional writing: one baccalaureate nursing program's experience.

According to The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 1998), professional writing is an important outcome of baccalaureate nursing education. Most baccalaureate nursing programs in the United States expect formally written student papers to adhere to the style requirements outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2001). It is essential for the baccalaureate nursing faculty members who evaluate student papers to be role models for the desired writing behaviors to facilitate student attainment of professional writing outcomes.

Undergraduate grade point average and graduate record examination scores: the experience of one graduate nursing program.

Graduate nursing programs frequently use undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for admission decisions. The literature indicates that both UGPA and GRE scores are predictive of graduate school success, but that UGPA may be the better predictor. If that is so, one must ask if both are necessary for graduate nursing admission decisions.

The impact of community college transfer on entry-level baccalaureate nursing student retention.

Student attrition is a major issue for entry-level baccalaureate science in nursing (BSN) programs. Where BSN students complete the prerequisite nursing courses may contribute to attrition. Because many BSN students satisfy prerequisite courses at community colleges (CCs), a better understanding regarding how a CC education impacts BSN student retention is needed.

Baccalaureate nursing program admission policies: promoting success or facilitating failure?

To increase enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs, various admission strategies have been used, including rolling admission policies and multiple admissions during an academic year. However, it is not known how these admission practices affect student preparedness for, or success within, the nursing major. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare two cohorts of first semester nursing students who were admitted under a policy of rolling admissions.

How gaming is used as an innovative strategy for nursing education.

Gaming is an innovative teaching strategy that research has shown to be effective for improving nursing student learning outcomes. Specifically, gaming enhances retention of knowledge, promotes problem-based learning, and motivates nursing students to become more engaged in their learning. The literature also indicates that the use of gaming during nursing education promotes active learning, encourages critical thinking, makes learning more exciting, and can replicate real-life scenarios.

Predicting early academic achievement in a baccalaureate nursing program.

Baccalaureate nursing programs are under increased pressure to graduate greater numbers of students to meet the demands of the nurse workforce of the future. Schools of nursing are admitting larger cohorts of students, but early academic achievement in the nursing major and retention are problematic. Historical predictors of early academic achievement, such as scholastic aptitude, may not be the best for identifying students at risk of early academic failure.

Alcohol relapse and its relationship to the lived experience of adult liver transplant recipients.

Abstinence from alcohol after liver transplantation is an important outcome for all adult liver transplant recipients to attain. Currently, there is no clear explanation for why some recipients consume alcohol after transplantation, whereas others do not, and the predictors of alcohol relapse after liver transplantation have not been clearly explained. It often is believed that nurses do not have sufficient knowledge of alcohol abuse and that addiction specialists are needed to assess alcohol relapse after transplantation.

Pain perception and expression: the influence of gender, personal self-efficacy, and lifespan socialization.

There are differences between males and females regarding the perception, expression, and tolerance of pain that stems from a variety of social and psychologic influences. Personal self-efficacy and lifespan socialization are two such influences, and they provide new dimensions for nurses to better understand the pain experience. This article will present a review of the literature regarding personal self-efficacy and lifespan socialization and their effects on pain perception and expression among males and females.

The significance of graduate admission written goal statements.

Written goal statements are often required of applicants to nursing graduate programs. There is a lack of data describing the significance of written goal statements, the topics addressed by applicants in their written goal statements, and the relationship between goal statement quality of writing (QOW) and graduate-level coursework. Using content analysis, the written goal statements of 157 graduate students from one Midwestern school of nursing were analyzed for their QOW and for the identification of content categories.

Balanced analgesia after hysterectomy: the effect on outcomes.

Balanced analgesia (an opioid and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent) after hysterectomy often leads to better postoperative pain outcomes. Researchers compared post-hysterectomy patients who received balanced analgesia with those who received only morphine patient-controlled analgesia, and their relationship with pain scores, ambulation, and hospital length of stay.

Relationship between depression and work outcomes following liver transplantation: the nursing perspective.

About 15% of Americans will experience a major depressive disorder during their lives (Stuart, 1994). Depression is defined by the daily persistence of depressed mood throughout the day, or the marked and regular loss of interest in regular daily activities (Stuart). Research indicates persons with chronic illnesses have higher rates of depression than the general public.

The effects of spinal anesthesia vs epidural anesthesia on 3 potential postoperative complications: pain, urinary retention, and mobility following inguinal herniorrhaphy.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of spinal (n = 113) vs epidural (n = 31) anesthetic techniques on 3 common postoperative complications: pain, urinary retention, and mobility for patients undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy. The study design was a retrospective chart review. Data were collected on 144 subjects who underwent herniorrhaphy between January 1 and December 31, 1999, had an ASA classification of I to III, and were older than 18 years.