Publishing Quality Improvement Projects: Know the Guidelines Before Starting Your Project.

Health care clinicians, educators, and students who plan and implement quality improvement (QI) projects must know reporting guidelines for successful project planning and publication. We aimed to identify QI guidelines, which authors can locate, and highlight how best to use them for manuscript preparation. We also address guidelines for educational QI projects. Because of the increasing number of Doctor of Nursing Practice projects generated, these students and their mentors must be familiar with commonly used guidelines for reporting QI projects to facilitate peer review, demonstrate quality and rigor of work, reduce revisions, and potentially accelerate a paper's acceptance for publication.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Virtual Mock Interview for Health Professions Students.

BACKGROUND: Virtual mock interviews were offered to students to improve job interviewing skills. This educational quality improvement project aimed to use virtual mock interviews to increase student preparedness and confidence, and reduce anxiety related to professional interviews. METHOD: Health professions students (n = 19) participated in the mock interviews conducted and recorded through a web-based meeting. Students received the recorded interview to watch before follow-up. Students completed pre- and postquestionnaires that addressed students' preparedness, confidence, and anxiety related to interviewing. RESULTS: Participants' confidence and preparedness improved significantly in their virtual interviews (p < .001), and their anxiety decreased significantly after the virtual interviews (p < .001). After watching the interviews, students' reported eye contact needed improvement and answers included too many "uhms." CONCLUSION: Students benefited from the virtual mock interviews. Mock virtual job interviews may have a positive effect on successful job acquisition in health professions. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(8):479-482.].

Strategies for successful promotion for clinical track nursing faculty.

Successful promotion of faculty yields multiple benefits including career advancement, recognition for productivity and contributions to the organization, and an increase in financial compensation for the individual. In academic settings, particularly in research intensive institutions, time and resources often are focused on supporting tenure track faculty to be successful in obtaining promotion and tenure. Although most nursing programs have substantial numbers of clinical track faculty (CTF), there may be less emphasis around planning and resources for performing activities that will lead to successful promotion for nontenure track faculty. Consequently, at the time of initial faculty appointment, CTF must begin promotion planning. This paper provides practical advice for CTF preparing for promotion including planning the promotion trajectory and identifying and facilitating the collection of evidence supporting the areas of teaching, scholarship, practice, and service. Examples are provided of activities engaged in by CTF that would serve as evidence to support promotion.

Reliability and validity of the simulation learning effectiveness inventory.

BACKGROUND: Instruments developed to measure simulation learning outcomes need evidence of their reliability and validity for rigorous research. The purpose of this paper is to report psychometric properties of the English version of the Simulation Learning Effectiveness Inventory. METHODS: Psychometric properties of the English version of the Simulation Learning Effectiveness Inventory, which included internal consistency reliability and construct validity with factor analysis, were examined in a sample of 132 undergraduate nursing students. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha coefficients were >0.70 for all subscales. There was evidence of convergent, discriminant, and known-group validity. The factor analysis resulted in some items being associated with different subscales than in the original Chinese version. CONCLUSIONS: The English version of the Simulation Learning Effectiveness Inventory has evidence of reliability and validity. Additional psychometric studies may result in changes in some of the subscales.

Comparing Outcomes of Active Student and Observer Roles in Nursing Simulation.

BACKGROUND: Because of large class sizes and limited resources, students participating in high-fidelity simulation experiences may be assigned to an observer role as opposed to an active nursing role. PURPOSE: Educators need to determine if anxiety levels and student learning outcomes are comparable for students in active and observer roles. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 132 prelicensure baccalaureate students. Active nursing roles consisted of primary care, documentation, and medication nurse roles. Observer role students were provided with resources to guide them with developing their observational skills and achieving the simulation objectives. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between simulation roles for anxiety levels, satisfaction with learning, self-confidence in learning, clinical ability, problem solving, confidence in clinical practice, and collaboration. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that either role is an appropriate assignment during simulation. Educators should identify ways to be supportive and reduce anxiety in students during simulation experiences.

Infusing interprofessional education into the nursing curriculum.

Education for interprofessional collaboration should begin early in the nursing program with a gradual infusion of interprofessional competencies into the curriculum. The faculty developed an interprofessional education program for students in nursing, physical therapy, nutrition, and respiratory care, which focused on sharing knowledge about each discipline, developing respect and value for each other's disciplines, and emphasizing techniques to improve communication and teamwork.

Ultrasonic detection of middle ear effusion: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the ability to detect and characterize middle ear effusion in children using A-mode ultrasonography. DESIGN: Prospective nonblinded comparison study. SETTING: Tertiary children's hospital. PATIENTS: Forty children (74 ears) scheduled to undergo bilateral myringotomy with pressure equalization tube placement. INTERVENTIONS: Before myringotomy, ultrasound examination of the tympanic membrane and middle ear space was performed on each ear. Afterward, myringotomy was performed and the type of effusion (serous, mucoid, or purulent) was recorded. Pressure equalization tubes were then placed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Comparison of ultrasound findings with the visual assessment of the type of middle ear effusion present. RESULTS: Of the 74 ears tested, 45 (61%) had effusion on direct inspection. The effusion was purulent in 8 ears (18%), serous in 9 ears (20%), and mucoid in 28 ears (62%). Ultrasound identified the presence or absence of effusion in 71 cases (96%) (P = .04). Ultrasound distinguished between serous and mucoid effusion with 100% accuracy (P = .04). The probe did not distinguish between mucoid and purulent effusion. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonography is an accurate method of diagnosing middle ear effusion in children. Moreover, it can distinguish thin from mucoid fluid. Further refinements in probe design may further improve the sensitivity of fluid detection and allow differentiation of sterile vs infectious effusion.