Prior knowledge of students: essential aspects that a nursing expert professor identifies, interprets, and organizes to foster learning.

Objective: To analyze the essential aspects that the nursing expert professor identifies, interprets, and organizes during classroom dialogic processes with students to foster their learning. Methods: Qualitative study, part of a multicenter study, which used ethnography of communication specifically from a micro-ethnographic approach. An expert professor from the Faculty of Nursing at a public university in Medellín, Colombia, was selected for the study. The fieldwork was done in three stages: 1:non-participant observations in two in-person classes of the Morphophysiology course recorded on video from two different perspectives (one focusing on the professor and another on the students); 2:think-aloud interviews with the professor and five students (three from the first class and two from the second) who spontaneously started more than two communicative interactions with the professor during the classes; and 3:parallel transcriptions, organized in didactic sequences (videos). The analysis was supported by the unit Student-Professor (identification-evaluation-answer) Student [S-P(i-e-a)S'], and by continuous comparisons of the data. Results: Four categories were identified: 1: Identification of essential aspects: importance of prior knowledge, 2: Interpretation: connection between essential aspects and students' mental processes, 3: Organization of the answer: connection between prior knowledge and new knowledge, and: 4: Synchronization with the learning needs of the students, which were grouped in a meta-category: Prior knowledge of the students: essential aspects for learning. Conclusion: Students' experiential prior knowledge constitutes the essential aspects identified, interpreted, and organized by the expert professor to achieve significant learning.

Robotics in Teaching-Learning: But in Nursing?

In this teaching-learning column, the use of robotic technology is explored as a possible adjunctive assistant to faculty. Given the advances in technology and the imposed restrictions of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, a discussion of using robotic technology in the teaching-learning of nursing seems timely and relevant. Questions to consider are explored. Then a concern and a possibility are presented for incorporating this advancing technology into teaching-learning from a humanbecoming perspective. Faculty are encouraged to enter into a deeper dialogue with colleagues in exploring options for incorporating robots with the caveat that the core of teaching-learning must remain the presence of teacher with student on the co-created never ending journey of the unfolding mystery in coming-to-know.

Showcasing Nursing Leadership and Contributions to a University's COVID-19 Student Contact Tracing Process.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented event that impacted every segment of healthcare, including universities preparing healthcare professionals. Instituting processes to coordinate student return to campus and ongoing COVID-19 testing and contract tracing challenged university campuses, but also brought opportunities for collaboration. This article reports on the experiences of one nonprofit private higher education university in management of the COVID-19 testing and contact tracing that were led by school of nursing faculty and nursing leadership.

New Faculty Orientation for Nurse Educators: Offerings and Needs.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify the common elements for new faculty orientation (NFO) programs and then replicate two previous studies regarding NFO offerings and needs. METHOD: Using a descriptive survey research design, a 40-item survey was developed based on Morin and colleagues' surveys and disseminated via the Qualtrics platform. The survey addressed nurse faculty orientation offerings and needs. RESULTS: Some form of orientation was offered to 61% of the respondents. Only 14% identified a person responsible for orienting new faculty to their nursing program, 15% said no one person was accountable, and 69% reported they did not know who was responsible. The top three categories to be included in an orientation program were educational environment, academic environment, and social milieu. CONCLUSION: NFO programs attended by nursing faculty may not be as comprehensive or effective as they could be. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(5):273-276.].

Opportunities in Chaos: Leveraging Innovation to Create a New Reality in Nursing Education.

The impact of the global coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered changes in nursing education at a pace not previously experienced in academia. Academic nursing leaders have been faced with challenges of balancing the impact of the pandemic responses in the face-to-face classroom, laboratory, and clinical learning, ensuring the safety of the college community, and supporting alternative educational delivery formats with assurance that desired learning outcomes and demanded professional competencies are attained. The challenge faced by these leaders is unprecedented. However, there is opportunity in crisis for leaders. This article details how the leadership at one institution leveraged transformational change theory to support faculty, staff, and students during this time of rapid change. Additionally, the article discusses the use of transformational change theory and the ongoing institutional commitment to meeting curricular goals and objectives while maintaining a commitment to being student focused.

Formation of Nurses at Universidad de Antioquia: A Reality embodied in its Study Plans.

The article presents the trajectory of the study plans that have guided the formation of nursing professionals at Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín (Colombia). It presents the principal milestones or events that at a given moment determined significant ruptures in the formation processes and which show how this Faculty of Nursing, in its 70 years of existence, has always articulated the health needs of the context with the formulation of its study plans, with the sole purpose of forming critical and innovative nursing professionals capable of responding assertively to care needs, according with the principal challenges or trends that condition the health environment.

Igniting Change: Supporting the Well-Being of Academicians Who Practice and Teach Critical Care.

Academicians who maintain a critical care clinical practice encounter numerous stressors, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which can influence well-being. This article provides historical perspectives on the stressors inherent in working in the critical care environment as well as the stressors of working in the academic environment. It proposes the application of the synergy model as a framework to help improve the well-being of academicians who practice and teach critical care. The most valuable strategy to improve professional well-being is for organizations to take a systems approach. The article focuses on approaches that are potentially within each individual's control.

Teaching work routine: challenges to nursing professors in contemporary times.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the organization of nursing professors' work and analyze its limiting and facilitating aspects. METHOD: A qualitative and descriptive study composed of professors from the federal public universities of Rio de Janeiro. Data collection took place through semi-structured interviews. The content analysis technique was used for data processing. RESULTS: Twenty-seven (27) professors participated. Facilitating elements of the teaching work were: work environment; autonomy and flexibility; liking what they do; use of technologies; and solidarity of the professional group; while hindering elements included: high work demand; intense work rhythm; scarcity of material and human resources; and academic competitiveness. CONCLUSION: The configuration of the teaching work organization is complex and multifaceted, presenting high psycho-affective, cognitive and physical demands which enhance illness in these workers.

Dedicated education units: Redirecting for success.

This process paper describes the evolution and growth of Dedicated Education Units through an academic-practice partnership at a college of nursing and urban medical center. This collaboration marked a period of rapid expansion from a single unit pilot dedicated education unit to five within a six-year timeframe. During the expansion from the pilot phase to creation of the dedicated units, it was determined that success in one unit did not translate to success in others. Using Tuckman's Group Development Theory as a lens for analysis of barriers and facilitators, suggested oversight and monitoring parameters were identified and include: (1) a dedicated clinical faculty coordinator is a necessity; (2) clearly defined dedicated education unit vision and goals need to be articulated to all; (3) a unit must commit to providing dedicated education unit clinical experiences only; (4) designated resources are needed for attending to staff and student scheduling requirements; (6) established and barrier-free clinical instructor educational support for nurse educator transition; (7) an objective evaluation plan with established benchmarks, (8) a need to evaluate the coordinator role as partnerships expand to multiple units, and (9) awareness of potential storming among new and experienced dedicated education units.

No Longer Expert: A Meta-Synthesis Describing the Transition From Clinician to Academic.

BACKGROUND: Recruitment of nurse clinicians into academic nursing has been important in addressing the faculty shortage. A description of their experiences as novice faculty could provide insights into easing their transition and improving faculty retention. METHOD: A systematic review of existing qualitative evidence was conducted to describe how nurses experience the transition from clinical practice to nursing academic. Criteria established by the Joanna Briggs Institute guided the review. RESULTS: The meta-synthesis of the 12 selected qualitative studies yielded 11 themes and four meta-themes, which included: Unprepared, No Longer an Expert, In Search of Mentoring, and Beginning to Thrive. CONCLUSION: The transition from expert clinician to novice faculty is difficult as teaching is different than practicing nursing. The expert clinicians often were unprepared for the demands of their faculty role and missed being experts. To begin to thrive, they needed orientation to the academic culture, intentional mentoring, and professional development in teaching and learning. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(7):366-374.].

Advancing health policy education in nursing: American Association of Colleges of Nursing Faculty Policy Think Tank.

Based upon an awareness of the need to increase its policy footprint, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN) Board of Directors convened a think tank of nurse experts in the field of policy curriculum to advise the Board. The goal of the think tank was to review the current landscape, analyze trends, and create a set of recommendations for AACN's Board to consider. The Faculty Policy Think Tank (FPTT) met between 2016 and 2017 to review and reflect on methods to increase expertise of nursing faculty and students in health policy and make recommendations to the AACN Board to advance the agenda of the organization, member schools, and the profession. This article describes the methods and processes the Think Tank employed to develop a set of recommendations for the AACN Board of Directors.

Limitations and possibilities in university management performed by nursing managers.

OBJECTIVE: Understand limitations and possibilities in university management performed by nursing managers of the undergraduate nursing course of a public university. METHOD: A qualitative study with theoretical and methodological framework anchored in the Grounded Theory. Data collection took place between May and September 2016, and the studied scenario was the Nursing Department of a public university in southern Brazil. RESULTS: The entrepreneurial profile and the leadership in interpersonal relations were highlighted among the possibilities, in addition to the co-responsibility in raising public resources to solve the university educational demands; as limitations, the scarcity of financial resources and the high demand for bureaucratic activities which have repercussions on the slowness of university public management processes. CONCLUSION: The nursing manager experiences limitations through their actions and interactions with people, and recognizes possibilities in the structure and processes of coordinating issues of collective interest in the university educational context.

Speak-Up Culture in Academic Nursing: Empowering Junior Faculty.

BACKGROUND: Faculty-to-faculty incivility in academic nursing is well documented, yet speaking up about the unprofessional behaviors of academic colleagues is still a challenge, particularly for junior faculty. METHOD: A unique faculty development session presented an opportunity to explore junior faculty experiences and perceptions of incivility, with the objectives of addressing concerns in a safe environment, identifying appropriate responses and resources for managing incivility, and supporting decisional influences on speaking up. RESULTS: Junior faculty were valued for their unique perspectives of the institutional culture and empowered as members of speak-up culture in the academic setting. CONCLUSION: Administrators benefit from intentionally seeking junior faculty perspectives regarding unprofessional faculty behaviors in the academic setting. Overall school culture benefits from ongoing efforts toward discussion, resource development, and upholding policies related to incivility. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(4):210-213.].

An Innovative Civility Intervention Created by a Faculty and Student Action Research Team.

BACKGROUND: Incivility is a significant issue in nursing education and practice, contributing to ineffective learning, unprofessional nursing practice, and negative patient outcomes. METHOD: A team of nursing faculty and students used Action Research to develop a quality improvement project targeting civility. A two-part, evidence-based training was offered to prelicensure nursing students, faculty, and staff. Part one was designed to increase incivility awareness, and part two was intended to enhance communication skills. RESULTS: Program evaluation data were collected through an anonymous survey and analyzed descriptively for themes. Results indicated students, faculty, and staff perceived the educational innovation as valuable and useful. CONCLUSION: By using free resources, a college of nursing was able to implement a cost-effective program to begin a conversation and offer a communication strategy to address incivility for students, faculty, and staff. This program design can be adopted by others for use in their organization. [J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(4):214-217.].