The experience of developing a faculty research cluster using the creativity of the narrative reflective process.

Faculty development that builds research capacity is a significant yet challenging expectation in academia. The School of Nursing faculty at Ryerson University established several research clusters to support research collaborations and productivity. This article explicates one cluster's development process, and specifically, its adoption of the narrative reflective process (NRP). Engaging in NRP permitted the group to creatively enter into critical dialogue, address both individual and collective needs, and establish a supportive environment that nurtures the creative process--all of which ultimately enhances scholarship and academic productivity.

Safety issues at the end of life in the home setting.

Patients who choose care in a home setting at the end of life may be at risk because of their declining cognitive or physical abilities, environmental hazards in the home, or caregiving issues. Although safety concerns in hospitals have been well documented, knowledge about safety issues in the home setting is limited. This qualitative, focused-ethnographic study was conducted to understand the safety issues that occur in the home setting from the perspective of home care clinicians who manage these issues for end-of-life patients.

Fostering person-centered care among nursing students: creative pedagogical approaches to developing personal knowing.

Person-centered care (PCC) is grounded in principles of respect, autonomy, and empowerment and requires the development of interpersonal relationships. For nursing students to engage in PCC, they need to intentionally develop personal knowing, which is an essential attribute of therapeutic relationships. Developing personal knowing, as well as professional knowledge, positions students to enact PCC in their practice. Faculty members play a vital role in fostering the development of personal knowing by creating opportunities for students in which genuine and respectful dialogue, reflection, self-awareness, and critical thinking can take place. This article explores several creative approaches faculty have used to actualize these qualities in their teaching-learning encounters with nursing students at various stages of their students' professional development. These approaches offer experiential teaching-learning opportunities that foster the development of personal knowing, as well as constructive and respectful relationships between faculty and students, therefore laying the groundwork for PCC in practice settings.

Patient and family caregiver decision making in the context of advanced cancer.

BACKGROUND: A basic tenet of palliative care is to maintain an individual's control over the dying process. However, when decline occurs quickly, as may be the case in advanced cancer, transition of responsibility for illness management to a family caregiver may become necessary when care takes place in the home. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to understand the decision-making process that occurs between a dying individual and his or her family caregiver. METHODS: Participants in this grounded theory study were selected by purposive and theoretical sampling methods. Data were collected and analyzed using a constant comparison approach. RESULTS: The core category covering captured the inordinate efforts taken by informal caregivers to ensure that their family member would be able to die in the manner of his or her choosing. The basic social process, dancing on the stairs, chronicled the families' decision-making process as they navigated through this delicate and precarious end stage of life. CONCLUSIONS: Dancing on the stairs required a close relationship between 2 people who were willing to remain engaged with each other, despite the difficulties they faced. This decision-making process may be applicable to other health care transitions in people's lives that need to be managed with another person. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Palliative care education for nurses in all care health settings may ease transitions for end-stage patients. Health promotion initiatives designed to educate the lay public about advance directives and end-stage illness management in a home setting may help to prepare family caregivers for their future responsibilities.