The COMITS Model: A Framework for Successful Publishing.

Publishing is a necessity for nursing faculty and a growing expectation for nurse clinicians. Overcoming personal, organizational, and publishing barriers to writing is critical for successful publishing. The purpose of this article is to introduce the COMITS model. COMITS is an acronym that represents the following concepts: Commitment, Organization, Mechanics, Interpersonal, Time, and Sustainability. Strategies for overcoming barriers are described. Using these strategies associated with the COMITS model provides a framework for overcoming barriers that often prevent nursing faculty and clinicians from publishing. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(10):477-483.].

The Effect of a Perioperative Nursing Elective on Nursing Career Paths.

Nurse educators play a role in addressing the growing perioperative nurse shortage in the United States by implementing strategies to entice new graduates to this specialty. The purpose of our study was to determine if an undergraduate perioperative nursing elective influenced the career choices of nurses four to nine years after they graduated from a baccalaureate nursing program in the midwestern United States. Using a descriptive study design, 23 of 50 nurses responded to a survey about positions they have held since graduating and the influence of a perioperative nursing elective on their career choices. Twenty-six percent of nurses in this sample went on to work in the perioperative specialty, and the majority indicated they continued to consider perioperative nursing as a career choice. Considering the potential long-term effects of this strategy, incorporating a perioperative nursing elective into nursing school curricula could be helpful to address the shortage of perioperative nurses.

Student Perceptions about the Influence of a Perioperative Nursing Elective on Career Preferences.

It has been suggested that offering perioperative nursing courses will increase the number of nurses and new graduates who enter the perioperative area. There is little research to support that students' career choices are influenced by immersion in perioperative content. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe student perceptions of perioperative nursing as a career option following completion of an elective in perioperative nursing. Two focus groups were held involving students (N=19) who completed the course. One hour sessions were audio taped as students described their perceptions about perioperative nursing. Tapes were transcribed verbatim and analysed for themes. Four themes were identified: 1) opening their eyes: career advantages, 2) being captive: career disadvantages, 3) paradox unrecognized, and 4) I'll be a better nurse. Although students were not persuaded to alter their primary employment intentions, they acknowledged the possibility of a future career in the perioperative area.

Service Learning in Undergraduate Nursing Education: Strategies to Facilitate Meaningful Reflection.

Service learning is recognized as a valuable pedagogy involving experiential learning, reflection, and reciprocal learning. Students develop critical thinking and social awareness by using the crucial activity of reflecting upon their experiential learning with community partners. The purpose of this paper is to demystify the process of reflection by identifying best practices to enhance reflection and offering suggestions for grading. By understanding "the what" and "the how" of reflection, educators can implement service learning experiences designed to include the essential component of reflection. Strategies for facilitating meaningful reflection are described including descriptions of what students should reflect upon and how to initiate reflection through writing, reading, doing, and telling. Grading rubrics are suggested to facilitate evaluation of student reflection. When properly implemented, service learning encourages students to be good citizens of the world. By using best practices associated with reflection, students can be challenged to think critically about the world and how their service can achieve community goals.

Service-Learning in Undergraduate Nursing Education: Where is the Reflection?

Service-Learning is recognized as a valuable pedagogy that involves experiential learning, reflection, and reciprocal learning. Reflection is a critical component because it assists students to develop critical thinking and social awareness as they reflect upon their experiential learning with community partners. Although there is a proliferation of literature about service-learning, upon closer examination, it is apparent that some authors do not place emphasis on reflection when reporting on service-learning projects. This begs the question, "Where is the reflection?" The purpose of this article is to provide an overview and describe misrepresentations and exemplars of service-learning. After providing an overview of service-learning, examples of how service-learning is misrepresented in the literature are discussed. Exemplars of service-learning are also cited. Calling attention to how service-learning is reported in the literature will increase awareness about the need to critically evaluate articles for evidence of reflection.

Admitting international graduate nursing students: what faculty need to know.

The number of international applicants to US nursing graduate programs is increasing. Modifying standard admission criteria, such as RN licensure, graduate record examination, validation of BSN degree, criminal background check, letters of recommendation, and personal statements, is necessary because of unique complexities. Addressing admission requirements unique to international students, such as English proficiency, visas, and proof of financial resources, is critical. Managing complexities of admitting international students is necessary to facilitate their success.

Simulation as an orientation strategy for new nurse graduates: an integrative review of the evidence.

Research shows that simulation is an effective teaching strategy in the preparation of healthcare professionals. Simulation is often used to evaluate clinical judgment and competencies of students. It has been proposed that simulation can be used during orientation to assist graduate nurses as they transition to professional roles. The purpose of this article is to provide a summary of current evidence related to the use of simulation in graduate nurse orientation. An integrative review was conducted using guidelines set forth by Ganong (Ganong, Res Nurs Health. 1987;10:1-11). Three articles meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed, and three themes were identified: socialization to the professional role, competence and confidence in self-performance, and learning in a safe and supportive environment. In this article, additional findings from the literature are linked to the three themes. Recommendations for future research are suggested.

Prenatal showers: educational opportunities for undergraduate students.

J. Cranmer and C. Lajkowicz (1989) faced the challenge of securing student clinical experiences with healthy prenatal clients. They identified that lack of access to pregnant women, limited number of faculty, and large numbers of students contributed to problems in meeting select course objectives. Little has changed since then. This article describes a clinical experience, known as "Prenatal Showers," where undergraduate nursing students, implementing the teacher role, provide community-based prenatal education in the context of a baby shower. Student groups address educational topics identified by community partners. After student presentations, feedback from prenatal clients is analyzed. Lessons learned include selecting appropriate community partners, clearly articulating academic and community needs, and obtaining seed money to initiate the program. Prenatal Showers are most successful when community partners possess open lines of communication, an accessible population, an appreciation for the contributions made by students, and a willingness to share responsibility for their supervision. Prenatal Showers offer different advantages from traditional maternal-child clinical experiences because students gain experiences with prenatal clients from diverse backgrounds and engage in community-based nursing. The community benefits because educational needs of prenatal clients are met. Strong community partnerships benefit faculty by making clinical placements more accessible and reducing faculty workload.

Strategies for making oral presentations about clinical issues: part II. At professional conferences.

This column offers strategies for making oral presentations at professional conferences. Part I, which appeared last month, offered strategies that clinicians can use to make effective oral presentations at work.

Strategies for making oral presentations about clinical issues: Part I. At the workplace.

This column offers strategies that clinicians can use to make effective oral presentations at work. Part II, which will be published next month, will offer strategies for making oral presentations at professional conferences.

Girl Scout Badge Day as a service learning experience.

Acquiring clinical experiences for students is a major challenge for nurse educators. One of the most difficult areas in which to secure clinical experiences is pediatric nursing; yet, nurse educators have a responsibility to create innovative strategies to assure that students have experience with pediatric clients. The purpose of this paper is to describe Girl Scout Badge Day (GSBD), a teaching strategy rooted in service learning. The strategy incorporates the three essential elements that distinguish service learning from other learning: experiential learning, reflection, and reciprocal learning. During this clinical experience, students provide health promotion education to scouts who subsequently earn badge requirements. Students are provided experiential learning as they implement the role of the teacher and reflect on the core values of nursing. In this paper, the specifics of implementing GSBD are presented and lessons learned are discussed. Benefits for students, scouts, troop leaders, and faculty are identified and improvements are suggested.

Proteome cataloging and relative quantification of Francisella tularensis tularensis strain Schu4 in 2D PAGE using preparative isoelectric focusing.

The protein complement of whole cell extract of the bacterium Francisella tularensis tularensis was analyzed using two-dimensional electrophoresis with preparative isoelectric focusing in the first dimension. The format allows the quantification of relative protein abundance by linear densitometry and extends the potential dynamic range of protein detection by as much as an order of magnitude. The relative abundance and rank order of 136 unique proteins identified in F. tularensis tularensis were established. It is estimated that 16% of the moderately to highly expressed proteins and 8% of all predicted non-pseudogenes were identified by comparing this proteome information with the relative abundance of mRNA as measured by microarray. This rank-ordered proteome list provides an important resource for understanding the pathogenesis of F. tularensis and is a tool for the selection and design of synthetic vaccines. This method represents a useful additional technique to improve whole proteome analyses of simple organisms.

Use of the innovation-decision process teaching strategy to promote evidence-based practice.

The purpose of this article is to describe the innovation-decision process teaching strategy (I-DPTS) based on the model of diffusion of innovations [Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York: Free Press]. A goal of baccalaureate nursing education is to develop competencies required for evidence-based practice. Such practice merges clinician expertise, patient preferences, and critical evaluation of the literature to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs [Melnyk, B. M. (2005). A primer on evidence-based practice. Paper presented at the Purdue School of Nursing Seventh Annual Helen R. Johnson Leadership Conference, West Lafayette, IN]. Several strategies to promote evidence-based practice have appeared in the literature. However, when they are examined in light of the innovation-decision process (Rogers, 2003), they do not address all the essential steps for adoption to occur. The I-DPTS allows students to achieve competencies necessary to overcome barriers associated with implementing best practices. This strategy was successfully implemented in a senior-level introductory nursing research class. Community representatives identified practice issues that could be addressed by student groups. After conducting a search of the literature, students analyzed the evidence, determined best practice based on the evidence, and developed a policy for implementation in clinical settings. At course end, representatives were invited to attend oral and poster presentations. Use of the I-DPTS better prepares students to implement best practice as they embark on their professional careers.

High-throughput proteomics processing of proteins in polyacrylamide in a multiwell format.

Processing multiple protein samples from polyacrylamide at significant sensitivity represents a major chokepoint for raising the success rate in high-volume protein identification projects. A multiwell filterplate method for processing proteins in polyacrylamide was optimized for sensitivity using a protein standard. The results demonstrate this process to be a reliable and reproducible method over a range of gel loadings and suitable for the identification of proteins near the threshold of silver stain. This high-throughput manual method requires a minimum of specialized equipment, and can be performed disconnected from a proteomics infrastructure for the preparation of mass spectrometry-ready samples.