Improving Empathy in Nursing Students: A Comparative Longitudinal Study of Two Curricula.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine changes of empathy levels of nursing student in two different curricula structures, one called "traditional" and the other called "integrated" curricula. The study was a longitudinal design to follow a cohort of nursing students to examine the magnitude of changes in empathy in their education years. METHODS: The study was conducted in a public school of nursing giving a baccalaureate degree, which had a fundamental change in their curricula. In all, 81 students from the traditional curricula and 66 students from the integrated curricula completed the study, and data from a total of 147 students were analyzed between 2003 and 2008. The Empathic Communication Skills Scale and the Empathic Tendency Scale were given to the students in the beginning of their freshman year and at the end of the fourth year just before graduation. RESULTS: Although both of the curricula were seemed effective at improving empathic skills of students, especially the scores of students who completed the integrated curricula were higher than the scores of the other group attending the traditional curricula (p<.05). However, the empathic tendency scores of students in both curricula decreased at the end of fourth year. CONCLUSION: Although undergraduate nursing curricula either traditional or integrated improved empathic skills, it seemed that integrated curricula were more effective than traditional curricula in increasing empathic skills. The more hours and more experiential methods contributed to improved empathy. The decrease in empathic tendency requires further attention of educators and nurse managers.

The impact of using standardized patients in psychiatric cases on the levels of motivation and perceived learning of the nursing students.

BACKGROUND: The use of standardized patients is not very common in psychiatric nursing education and there has been no study conducted in Turkey. AIM: This study evaluated the impact of using standardized patients in psychiatric cases on the levels of motivation and perceived learning of the nursing students. DESIGN: This manuscript addressed the quantitative aspect of a doctoral thesis study in which both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A pre-test and post-test were employed in the quantitative analysis in a randomized and controlled study design. RESULTS: The motivation scores, and interim and post-test scores for perceived learning were higher in the experimental group compared to pre-test scores and the scores of the control group. The students in the experimental group reported that they felt more competent about practical training in clinical psychiatry, as well as in performing interviews with patients having mental problems, and reported less anxiety about performing an interview when compared to students in the control group. CONCLUSION: It is considered that the inclusion of standardized patient methodology in the nursing education curriculum in order to improve the knowledge level and skills of students would be beneficial in the training of mental health nurses.

The Effectiveness of an Interpersonal Cognitive Problem-Solving Strategy on Behavior and Emotional Problems in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity.

INTRODUCTION: This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the "I Can Problem Solve" (ICPS) program on behavioral and emotional problems in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: The subjects were 33 children with ADHD aged between 6 to 11 years. The study used a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design with one group. The researchers taught 33 children with ADHD how to apply ICPS over a period of 14 weeks. The Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18 (Teacher Report Form) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) Based Disruptive Behavior Disorders Screening and Rating Scale (parents' and teacher's forms) were used to evaluate the efficacy of the program. The scales were applied to parents and teachers of the children before and after the ICPS program. RESULT: The findings indicated that the measured pre-training scores for behavioral and emotional problems (attention difficulties, problems, anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed, oppositional defiant problems, rule breaking behaviors, and aggressive behaviors) were significantly decreased in all children post-training. In addition, children's total competence scores increased (working, behaving, learning and happy) after the ICPS program. CONCLUSION: According to the results, it is likely that, ICPS would be a useful program to decrease certain behavioral and emotional problems associated with ADHD and to increase the competence level in children with ADHD. An additional benefit of the program might be to empower children to deal with problems associated with ADHD such as attention difficulties, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and oppositional defiant problems.