Music in Academia for Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Over time, unmanaged stress and anxiety can potentially impact nursing students' health and academic performance. A randomized controlled approach explored the effects music has on stress and anxiety levels in undergraduate nursing students. Students ( n = 89) were randomized into two recording groups, and variables such as demographics, heart rate, blood pressure, and State-Trait Anxiety (STAI) scores were measured and compared.

Knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) of adaptable academic nurse educators.

Aim: Using the Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes (KSAs) framework, the aim of this study was to explore the specific knowledge, skills and attitudes of adaptable nurse educators to help inform the preparation of current and future educators for smooth transitions during periods of change.

Background: External events, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and wildfires can force programs to relocate and suspend classes for several days or weeks. These natural disasters have the potential to have a negative impact on the number of nursing students graduating on time as well as the quality of the clinical education experience and preparation for practice.

Strategies for Incorporating Plant-Based Nutrition Into Nursing Curricula.

A whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) eating pattern has shown benefits in preventing and reversing chronic disease, yet nursing curricula rarely include content on nutrition as a primary modality for disease management. We implemented several undergraduate and graduate nursing and interprofessional teaching strategies to increase student knowledge of a WFPB diet and help nurses improve patient outcomes through assimilation. Students requested additional emphasis on WFPB diets and chronic illness in the curriculum.

Trends in…The Importance of Amplifying Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Academic Health Sciences Libraries.

Formalizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles and practices in health sciences libraries should be an organizational goal. Organizations should strive to build and sustain a culture of equity and inclusion in which diversity is integrated into their core operations. Health sciences libraries should design systems, policies, procedures, and practices that align with and support these principles in collaboration with partners and stakeholders that share these values.

Developing and implementing a co-curricular IPE program: AHEC Scholars Program.

As part of a new directive, the Human Resources Services Administration (HRSA) mandated Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Programs across the nation to implement an interprofessional education (IPE) program for health professional students, with the goal of fostering collaborative practice among health profession students and motivating students to work in medically underserved areas post-graduation. The South Texas AHEC Program collaboratively developed and implemented a co-curricular IPE initiative, the AHEC Scholars Program, including didactic and practicum components, focused on the needs of communities in our area. A pre-post quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the student outcomes related to IPEC Competencies and knowledge and preparation for the practice of core topic areas mandated by HRSA.

Effects of Reflective Practice on Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Stress, Anxiety and Competency: An Integrative Review.

Background: Reflective practice affects all levels of nursing, including students, as well as practicing nurses. Self-reflective practice is a widespread concept in nursing; however, few empirical studies have demonstrated the possible effects of such a practice. The purpose of this integrative literature review was to identify evidence of the effects of self-reflective practice on baccalaureate-level nursing students, especially stress.

Cognitive Dysfunction in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Concept Analysis.

Although cognitive dysfunction is related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the concept has not yet been well defined. The purpose of this study was to define the concept of cognitive dysfunction in persons with T2DM and examine its defining attributes, antecedents, and consequences. Literature was retrieved from 2008 to 2018 by systematically searching the PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases.

Health Beliefs Regarding Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Risk Reduction in South Asian Immigrants: An Integrative Review.

The risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is higher in South Asians (SAs) than in other ethnic groups. The purpose of this review is to explore SAs' health beliefs regarding CVD risk and risk reduction behaviors including physical activity and healthy diet. An integrative review was conducted to examine the peer-reviewed literature published before May 2017.

Adelante (Moving Forward): An Innovative Program for Nursing and Prenursing Students.

The US population reflects a rich diversity of people that is not reflected in the health care workforce. This article describes the Adelante (Moving Forward) Program, an innovative model designed to increase nursing workforce diversity. Adelante was created to advance baccalaureate nursing students and prenursing students by using supportive developmental relationships and mentoring strategies.

Cultural factors associated with physical activity among U.S. adults: An integrative review.

Aim: The purpose of this integrative review is to identify the cultural factors associated with physical activity (PA) among United States (U.S.) adults.

Leadership by collaboration: Nursing's bold new vision for academic-practice partnerships.

In 2016 the American Association of Colleges of Nursing issued a report, Advancing Healthcare Transformation: A New Era for Academic Nursing that included recommendations for more fully integrating nursing education, research, and practice. The report calls for a paradigm shift in how nursing leaders in academia and practice work together and with other leaders in higher education and clinical practice. Only by doing so can we realize the full benefits of academic nursing in this new era in which integration and collaboration are essential to success.

PhD or DNP: planning for doctoral nursing education.

Leading authorities from inside and outside of nursing are calling for a rapid increase in the number of nurses holding doctoral degrees. More nurses with the terminal degree are needed to serve as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, assume faculty roles, embark on research careers, and pursue top leadership positions. Today's prospective nursing student can choose from doctoral programs focused on research or practice.

Use of the seven principles of effective teaching to design and deliver an interactive hybrid nursing research course.

Aim: This study examined how applying the seven principles of effective teaching to designing and delivering an undergraduate nursing research course in a hybrid format affected course quality.

Background: Existing research does not adequately describe how the design and delivery processes of hybrid courses affect course outcomes or how these processes address informatics learning resources and students' varying levels of computer skills.

Method: A hybrid nursing research course was designed and delivered to 105 nursing students using Blackboard and Tegrity systems.

AHRQ healthcare exchange: promoting adoption of innovations.

Adopting innovations and incorporating evidence-based research in healthcare can be a challenging process. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Health Care Innovations Exchange is a new program designed to promote the development and adoption of healthcare innovations that improve the quality of healthcare. The Health Care Innovations Exchange is a valuable resource for healthcare professionals.

Best practice models for acute and critical care: today and into the future.

The purpose of this article is to describe selected best practices in acute and critical care. The evidence base for these models is steadily building. Attributes of past, present, and emerging models are discussed in the context of important considerations such as stress, capacity, and infection.

Developing a healthy OR workplace.

Innovation is required to develop a positive work environment in the OR. Components of a healthy or workplace identified by staff members of three surgical departments are quality practice standards, excellence in patient care systems, a functional physical environment, effective staff systems, meaningful role definition and clarity, and identified guidelines for teamwork. In one or, staff members working on a communication team developed and implemented an action plan to enhance respect in the OR setting.

Assessment of caregivers' willingness to participate in an intervention research study.

The purpose of the study was to identify factors that influenced family caregivers' decisions to participate in an intervention research study. In interviews conducted before and after the intervention, caregivers (n=21) described reasons for participation. A focused content analysis was used to examine responses.

Loss of identity in disaster: how do you say goodbye to home?

Topic: Hurricane Katrina was a disaster that affected the lives of many people from the Gulf Coast area. The hurricane affected their emotional and physical health, and devastated their financial and material status.

Purpose: This article relates the lived experience of a Hurricane Katrina New Orleans evacuee who relocated to Texas permanently.

San Antonio Mental Health Disaster Consortium: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a personal perspective.

Topic: This is the personal perspective of the author's experience during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As a member of a professional mental health volunteer organization, this chronicles 3 months' experience in the local shelters.

Purpose: Difficulties with organizational support and structure hampered the effectiveness and functioning of this volunteer organization in the shelters.

Stigmatization of Hispanic children, pre-adolescents, and adolescents with mental illness: exploration using a national database.

This paper examines descriptive statistics for the primary payer, length of stay, and admission source of an acute care hospitalization of Hispanic children--pre-adolescents, and adolescents with a primary psychiatric Diagnostic Related Group (DRG)--and relates these variables to the concept of stigma. This paper was a secondary analysis that used data from the National Inpatient Sample database. Psychosis was the most frequent diagnosis of Hispanic youth who were hospitalized.

Using dimensional analysis to improve drug dosage calculation ability.

Confidence and accuracy in medication calculation ability continue to be problematic among nursing students. This deficiency has been attributed to poor basic mathematical skills, inconsistent teaching methods, and inconsistent or incorrect use of multiple mathematical formulas. This article provides evidence of the value of dimensional analysis as an effective teaching strategy for calculating drug dosages.

Smoking cessation: the state of the science. The utility of the Transtheoretical Model in guiding interventions in smoking cessation.

Smoking remains the most significant modifiable risk factor for the leading causes of death in the United States. The most frequently used theoretical model used to guide interventions directed toward smoking cessation has been the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) (Prochaska and DiClemente, 1983), although the effectiveness and efficacy of the model's use in guiding smoking cessation interventions has not been fully evaluated. A non-statistical meta-analytic approach was used to examine reports of the use of the TTM in smoking cessation interventions.