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.

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.

Self-care activities captured through discussion among community-dwelling older adults.

Four separate focus group sessions were conducted in the Detroit metropolitan area to invite vital elders to speak freely about their health, health problems, health practices, and how they maintain their bio-psycho-social and spiritual well-being. Twenty-eight participants were interviewed. The majority were African American, female, widowed, Protestant, and had achieved a high school or greater educational level.

Effect of antipsychotic medication use on memory in patients with Alzheimer's disease: Assessing the potential risk for accelerated recent autobiographical memory loss.

Autobiographical memory loss is a common and disturbing problem for individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients with AD who are taking antipsychotic medications may be at further risk for loss of recent autobiographical memory because of the potential anticholinergic side effects of antipsychotics. The purpose of this post hoc, descriptive study was to compare the recent autobiographical memory scores of patients with AD taking antipsychotics to those who were not taking antipsychotics.

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.

Differences in parenting needs of fathers of children with chronic conditions related to family income.

Children with chronic conditions now survive longer than has been true historically, creating a need to promote optimal growth and development for themselves, their family members and the family as a whole. This article reporting a midwestern United States study compares the concerns and coping strategies of fathers of chronically-ill children with household annual incomes less than $50,000 with fathers of chronically-ill children with household incomes of $50,000 or more. The sample of 48 fathers completed the Hymovich Family Perception Inventory anonymously.

A survey of nurses who practice in infertility settings.

Design: A nonrandom convenience sample was used to obtain information about the educational level, clinical activities, knowledge base, and skills of nurses involved with in vitro fertilization.

Participants: Three hundred thirty-six returned surveys.

Results: The Wilcox rank sum test compared nurses in the private practice setting with those in hospital-based services.

Testing a model: a developmental perspective of adolescent male sexuality.

Purpose: This study tested a model of adolescent male sexuality and evaluated its usefulness for predicting sexual behaviors among a diverse sample.

Design And Methods: Secondary analysis using a national sample was conducted. Sexuality was conceptualized as depending on family, peers, and school.

Fathers parenting chronically ill children: concerns and coping strategies.

The concerns and coping strategies of fathers with chronically ill children and those they perceived as their wives' were identified. In this descriptive study of fathers of chronically ill children seen in three specialty clinics of a pediatric hospital, 48 completed the Hymovich Family Perception Inventory (FPI). Eighty-five percent or more identified seven concerns for themselves and perceived their wives to have seven concerns.

The needs of fathers parenting children with chronic conditions.

Children with chronic conditions survive for longer periods of time than ever before, thus needing optimal growth and development for themselves, their family members, and the family as a unit. A literature review suggests that these fathers have parenting needs that may differ from fathers of well children. This study identifies and compares these needs.

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 effect of curriculum on the attitudes of nursing students toward disability.

Societal attitudes toward people with differing abilities are often based on a lack of understanding, fear of the unkNown, and stereotypes learned from others. Nursing students enter their educational programs with similar attitudes and experiences. Attitudes of nurses are key to how they respond toward individuals with disabilities and chronic illnesses.

You've got mail: rehabilitation nurses on the RehabNurse-L LISTSERV.

Rehabilitation nursing is a specialty with its own values, beliefs, practice, and language. Nurses are socialized to a specialty through their work interactions, professional readings, and professional affiliations. In this new millennium, nurses can communicate beyond their immediate environment with peers around the world through e-mail discussion groups (e.

Collaborative partnership for culture care: enhancing health services for the Arab community.

The purpose of this study was to discover perceptions, experiences, and patterns of health care behavior among Arab Americans in an urban Midwestern area of the United States and then to discover perceptions and experiences of health care providers related to culturally competent care. The goal of the study was to generate findings that would provide the basis for implementing system-wide changes to include culturally competent care. A qualitative focus group methodology was used to discover the care patterns and perceptions of Arab Americans and the local health care providers.

Frequency and effectiveness of self-care actions and menopause symptoms of middle-aged working women.

A sample of working women (462) was surveyed to determine the frequency and effectiveness of menopause-specific symptoms and self-care actions. Perimenopause women were more symptomatic than the pre or postmenopause women. The most frequently used and effective self-care actions were to control vasomotor symptoms.

Assessment of cardiovascular risk factors among residents of a city in Jordan.

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in many countries. The purpose of this study was to assess cardiovascular risk factors in a stratified randomly selected sample of a city near Amman, Jordan. A stratified sample of two hundred and nine randomly selected households were selected for this study.

Work outcomes for female liver transplant recipients with alcohol-related liver disease.

The purpose of this retrospective survey was to describe post-liver transplant work outcomes for female liver transplant recipients with histories of alcohol-related liver disease. The theoretical framework guiding the study was Laffrey's conception of health. The Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test was used to measure alcohol-related liver disease.

Contraception in Jordan: a cultural and religious perspective.

This report provides a content analysis of studies conducted with Jordanian women on contraception. Factors such as pressure to have children, number and gender of children, location of residence, influence of religion, level of education, age, employment status, source of contraceptive services and method of contraception are discussed. Non-demographic factors, such as social and psychosocial, were found to be only briefly investigated and discussed in the literature.

A pilot program to increase self-care of adult asthma patients.

An exploratory pilot study was conducted to test the effectiveness of an educational program designed to enhance asthma patients' self-efficacy, knowledge, and self-care skills.

Domestic violence in the Arab American population: transforming environmental conditions through community education.

The purpose of this research was to assess and provide community interventions for victims of domestic violence in the Arab American immigrant population in a large midwestern city of the United States. The theoretical framework of critical social theory provided the context for the research. A survey tool for assessing domestic violence was administered in the homes of 202 Arab American immigrants, followed by open discussion with the Arabic data collector.

Renal transplant recipients' and their physicians' expectations regarding return to work posttransplant.

The purpose of the study was to explore the return to work (RTW) expectations of adult renal transplant recipients and their transplant physicians. The design was a prospective survey. Data was collected from 25 adult end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who were admitted to a large Midwestern transplant center for renal transplantation and the surgeons who performed their transplant operations.