Calories and control: Eating habits, behaviors, and motivations of Generation Z females.

OBJECTIVE: This qualitative phenomenological study explored eating habits, behaviors, and motivations of Gen Z females (born 1996-2002). PARTICIPANTS: Ten participants met selection criteria: female aged 18-24 (thus, part of Gen Z), enrolled full-time at the University and able to share experiences. Maximum variation was sought for race/ethnicity, Greek life/sorority involvement and hometown regional area. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews elicited detailed descriptions of lived experiences. Data consisted of five face-to-face interviews and five Internet-based teleconferenced interviews. Saldana's First Cycle/Second Cycle constant comparative method was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Four themes and four subthemes were identified: Blurred Lines (healthy versus disordered behaviors), Rationalizing Behaviors (Denial), Technological Influences (Social Media; Self-Worth), and Pandemic Influence. CONCLUSION: Gen Z represents a pivotal population with diverse characteristics. These findings are helpful to health professionals, faculty, academic administrators, and others with vested interests in promoting healthier living, learning and work environments for this population.

"Black out or back out": Understanding the alcohol habits, behaviors, and motivations of generation Z students.

OBJECTIVE: This qualitative phenomenological study explored alcohol habits, behaviors, and motivations of Gen Z students (born 1996-2010). Participants: Thirteen participants met selection criteria: aged 18-24 years (thus, part of Gen Z), enrolled as at either the University or community college, and able to share experiences. Maximum variation was sought for race/ethnicity, Greek life/sorority involvement and hometown regional area. Methods: Semi-structured interviews elicited detailed descriptions of lived experiences. Saldana's First Cycle/Second Cycle constant comparative method was used for data analysis. Results: Five themes were identified: Motivations to Drink, Know My Limits, Exceeding Limits Leads to Risky Behaviors, Hangover Anxiety ("Hangxiety"), and Greek Life Influence. Additionally, the subtheme Internal Thoughts and Rationalizations was identified. Conclusion: Unique characteristics and unprecedented times contribute to alcohol consumption behaviors of Gen Z students. These findings hold an awareness to assist in the provision of education, support, and needed resources.

Improving Confidence in Clinical Assessment Skills Through Service-Learning Experiences Among Nursing Students.

BACKGROUND: Service-learning (SL) was incorporated into a nonclinical undergraduate nursing course. This study examined the effects of SL on nursing students' confidence in performing patient health assessments. METHOD: Nursing students completed an experiential SL vital signs assessment and a subsequent reflective journal. Of 112 reflective journals, 30 journals were randomly selected for qualitative analysis to understand the experiences of SL for nursing students. A rapid analytic framework was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The following domains were identified: overcoming initial fear, building confidence in clinical assessment skills, practicing therapeutic communication and patient education, and developing problem solving skills. CONCLUSION: This project highlights that SL experiences are not limited only to clinical settings but also are appropriate for nontraditional preclinical settings as well. Such experiences introduce nursing students to patient care and critical reasoning prior to transitioning to subsequent clinical nursing courses. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(5):272-275.].

Peace, Love, Field Day: An Innovative Approach to Cultivating Healthy Academic Communities.

The American Nurses Association declared 2017 the Year of the Healthy Nurse. In an effort to promote a healthy academic environment, faculty and staff in institutions of higher learning should serve as role models for healthy living for their students. This article describes an innovative approach to cultivating a healthy academic environment. Details about planning and implementation are provided along with recommendations for future implementation.

Laughter Is the Best Medicine: Teaching to Teach Using Standardized Patients.

This article describes an innovative approach to patient teaching using standardized patients, humor, and therapeutic communication. The strategy was designed for baccalaureate students enrolled in a fundamentals nursing course. Students, divided into small groups, were assigned a patient education topic to provide to the standardized patient. Student and faculty feedback indicated positive responses to this instructional strategy. Utilization of this learner-centered teaching environment to promote therapeutic communication during a complex patient-teaching scenario was found to be beneficial for novice nursing students.

Bringing your a-game: Educational gaming for student success.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this article is to describe the theoretical basis for the integration of gaming in nursing education and discuss aspects related to the implementation of "The Race for Nursing Student Success" game. METHODS: This game was designed for 112 junior-level baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in a fundamentals nursing course. Students were divided into groups of 5-8 and rotated through ten specific learning activities that took place in various locations throughout the nursing building. RESULTS: Student and faculty feedback indicated positive responses to this instructional strategy and also promoted a learner-centered teaching environment. CONCLUSION: This learning activity supports the use of educational gaming as a means to develop learner-centered environments that provide experiential experiences, enhance learning, and stimulate interest, and motivation for students to learn.

Unfolding case studies as a formative teaching methodology for novice nursing students.

Nurse educators are challenged to incorporate evidence-based practice initiatives into content-laden curricula in a manner that supports learner-centered teaching environments. This article describes a technique for using unfolding case studies to include such initiatives in the teaching of novice nursing students, as opposed to summative evaluation of their knowledge. Modeled after Kolb's experiential learning theory, a framework for unfolding case studies is presented, which proposes that instead of faculty selecting scenarios for students, they should instead challenge students to directly and creatively develop their own. Small student groups used creative collaboration to create well-planned, complex case study scenarios that unfolded in surprising, realistic ways. This instructional method was met with positive student feedback; however, the authors suggest several recommendations for educators considering this approach. The authors found this framework to be a successful and effective strategy for undergraduate novice nursing students.

Preventing information overload: cognitive load theory as an instructional framework for teaching pharmacology.

Nursing students are challenged by content-laden curricula and learning environments that emphasize testing outcomes. Likewise, educators are challenged to support student-centered learning in a manner that encourages students to connect and act upon their personal motivations. This article describes the use of cognitive load theory (CLT) as an instructional design framework for an undergraduate pharmacology for nursing course. Guided by the principles of CLT, four instructional strategies were used in this course: (a) opening review activities, (b) providing students with lecture notes, (c) a "Top Five" prototype approach, and (d) deciphering "Need to Knows" from "Nice to Knows." Instructional style and strategies received positive student feedback and were found to promote a student-centered environment and active learning. On the basis of this feedback, cognitive load theory may be a successful and effective framework for undergraduate pharmacology and other nursing courses, thus assisting students and educators alike in overcoming obstacles imposed on learning environments.