Traveling the road toward academic promotion for faculty with a DNP degree.

There is a widely recognized need for nursing faculty in the United States. To prepare a practice-ready workforce, schools of nursing are hiring faculty with Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) preparation to ensure clinical expertise is embedded into curriculum by practice experts. However, nurses transitioning from clinical nursing to faculty positions require tailored support and guidance in navigating the academic environment. Preparation for academic promotion is essential to integration into an academic setting. Support in navigating the new environment is essential for building confidence, to lay a foundation for a successful transition, and ultimately retaining these qualified educators. This article provides strategies to support nursing faculty planning to embark on an academic career track and provides guidance on how to prepare these DNP-prepared faculty for career progression and future promotion along academic ranks. These strategies include school and institutional orientation, faculty development plans, mentorship, leadership development, and performance review processes.

Evaluating a Health Equity Podcast for Provider Practice Change: A Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Podcasts are effective tools for disseminating health education. This study aimed to disseminate a health equity curriculum on best practices. METHOD: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted as part of the Health Equity in Pediatrics podcast series between May and June 2023. Listeners were surveyed following each episode, and both quantitative and qualitative responses of voluntary respondents were analyzed. RESULTS: Episodes were downloaded 4,095 times. Survey respondents (n = 66) reported increased knowledge and intended practice change inspired by the podcast. Qualitative responses included themes surrounding knowledge, appreciation, and practice change. DISCUSSION: Podcasts are easily disseminated to wide audiences and can improve health equity knowledge while inspiring practice change. This style can help listeners identify practices that suggest implicit bias and implement more equitable best practices. Future research should examine implicit bias training and standardization of health equity education using podcasts.

Through the Looking Glass: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: A Call for Action from the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.

In response to growing health disparities, social inequities, structural racism, and discrimination, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce. In 2020, this group transitioned into a national committee to infuse equity across the organization and empower pediatric-focused advanced practice registered nurses as agents of change to address health disparities. Emphasizing the critical need for understanding health disparities in the context of racism and discrimination, this committee champions a paradigm shift, transcending educational initiatives, advisory roles, advocacy efforts, leadership strategies, and community services to illuminate an equitable future for all children and families.

Application of an Antiracism Framework to Improve Pediatric APRN Education.

Poor health outcomes for children are directly tied to poor social determinants of health and systemic, embedded health care inequities. To prepare the next generation of pediatric advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), nursing schools must educate students to address inequities through innovative curricular models and teaching modalities. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the application of an antiracism framework to a graduate APRN program. This article describes the application of this framework, which led to significant administrative, curricular, and course changes to prepare pediatric-focused APRN students to address the health inequities and poor social determinants of health facing children today. By describing our journey to embed an antiracism framework, other nursing schools can make substantive changes necessary to prepare their students to address these health inequities.

Academic Leadership for Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Academic nursing prepares nurses for the future to deliver, improve, and innovate health care. Moving forward on this imperative requires nurse leaders to support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts thus partnering with individuals, families, communities, and other sectors to advance health equity, reduce health disparities, and improve care. The purpose of this article is to describe the creation, launch, and evaluation of an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in an academic nursing institution. Lessons learned are shared to assist others in their own journey to establish a DEI structure within an academic setting, especially one with a robust academic-practice partnership. The ideas shared are easily transferable to nonacademic settings.

Application of the Toxic Stress Schema: An Exemplar for School Nurses.

For many children of color, the cumulative impact of pre-existing stressors, disparities, and pandemic-related losses has contributed to a toxic level of stress. Toxic stress can disrupt healthy brain development making children vulnerable to physical and mental health problems. School nurses are the primary health professionals who interact with children daily during the academic year, which positions them to identify risk factors within the social determinants of health that contribute to the development of toxic stress. The Toxic Stress Schema (TSS) provides a framework for assessment and care planning related to social determinants of health and potential sources of stress and/or buffering support for the physical and mental well-being of children. A case study approach is used to demonstrate the application of the TSS to school nursing and provide the basis for conceptualizing a plan of care and identifying resources to support the child's physical and mental health.

The ABCs of DEI.

An overview of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and why they're important for nursing.

Restoring trust in research among historically underrepresented communities: A call to action for antiracism research in nursing.

BACKGROUND: Health disparities and inequities among historically underrepresented populations represent a public health crisis. PURPOSE: This manuscript describes how use of an antiracism framework, an evidence-based approach to addressing systemic barriers, can assist with restoring trust in historically underrepresented communities that have experienced harm by researchers. METHODS: We also discuss the necessity of inclusive research teams and provide exemplars of how antiracism research principles and inclusive research teams can be used to mitigate harm and restore trust in historically underrepresented communities. DISCUSSION: Historical trauma and research misconduct have resulted in the mistrust of healthcare providers and health care systems among historically underrepresented individuals and communities. CONCLUSION: Nurse scientists are positioned to appreciate historical inequities and trauma and to intervene by developing culturally relevant interventions. This work, however, will only happen if communities that have suffered harm trust nurse scientists.

A Schema of Toxic Stress Informed by Racism, Transgenerational Stress, and Disadvantage.

INTRODUCTION: The Toxic Stress Schema (TSS) is an ecological framework with a social justice lens for identifying and alleviating stress and strengthening social determinants of health for children and families of color impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the cumulative effects of racism and generational, systemic inequities. METHOD: Relevant literature is reviewed, and examples were provided to illustrate the differential impacts of the "stress superstorm" of 2020 had on children of color based on their family's position on the advantage-disadvantage continuum. RESULTS: The utility of the TSS framework as a model for advanced nursing practice is demonstrated, and recommendations are formulated for the pediatric nurse practitioner's role in health policy. DISCUSSION: The COVID-19 pandemic elucidated the historical inequities experienced by children and families of color. The TSS framework provides a model for recognizing, organizing, and implementing.

Use of the Worklife and Levels of Burnout Surveys to Assess the School Nurse Work Environment.

Previous research regarding burnout in acute care settings revealed that positive work environments increase job satisfaction, decrease staff turnover, and improve patient outcomes. However, few studies address burnout among school nurses. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between the school nurse practice environment, school nurses' levels of burnout, and perceived sources of work stress. A cross-sectional sample of 100 registered nurses completed a web-based version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Areas of Worklife Survey. Identified stressors were entered into regression models to determine associations with levels of burnout. Burnout is significantly associated with all Areas of Worklife subscales. School nurses who reported satisfactory work environments experienced little to no burnout. This study provides insights into the domains of work that can cause burnout among school nurses and provides evidence that can inform school leadership and policy makers on ways to promote healthy work environments.

Cultural hair practices, physical activity, and obesity among urban African-American girls.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hair holds cultural meaning and value for women of African descent. The values placed on hair type and hair style date back to preslavery days. There is a small body of literature that addresses the relationship between cultural hair practices and physical inactivity among black women. Understanding this is important because inactivity during childhood and adolescent years contributes to increased weight-related morbidity and mortality during adult years. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between cultural hair practices, physical activity, and obesity among urban African-American adolescent girls. METHODS: A convenience sample of 50 African-American girls completed questionnaires and were weighed and measured for body mass index (BMI) calculation. CONCLUSION: Cultural hair practices such as the amount of money (p = .047) and time (p = .015) spent on hair maintenance were associated with decreased physical activity but were not associated with BMI. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Inactivity during adolescence can result in obesity, a major cause of chronic health conditions that contribute to morbidity and mortality as an adult. When nurse practitioners understand and appreciate the cultural differences and beliefs around cultural hair practices they will be able to develop culturally appropriate strategies that will aid in weight loss.

Advancing Nursing Science Through Community Advisory Boards: Working Effectively Across Diverse Communities.

The movement toward community-engaged research is well aligned with nursing's strong tradition of engaging individuals, families, and communities in designing and evaluating nursing care. As such, nurse scientists should consider engaging the recipients of care in the research process. Community advisory boards are a common way in which communities are engaged in research. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework for effectively working with community advisory boards in diverse communities that is informed by evidence and experiences of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars. Recommendations can serve as a blueprint for nurse scientists as they engage communities in research promoting health equity.

Parental Knowledge about Urban Preschool Children's Oral Health Risk.

Dental caries is one of the most prevalent and significant health problems in the United States. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, more than one-fourth of children between the ages of two and five years experience early childhood caries before entering kindergarten. The purpose of this study was to explore parent's knowledge of preschool children's oral health risk factors. A descriptive design was used with a convenience sample of 87 parents of children who attended day care centers and preschools. Seventeen knowledge questions were used to assess parents' knowledge of their child's oral health. Results showed that parents lacked knowledge in some aspects of oral health care. The majority of parents knew that baby teeth are important, and both baby and permanent teeth should be brushed. Fewer, however, perceived that cavities in baby teeth lead to cavities in permanent teeth. Similarly, parents knew the role of food in the dental caries, but fewer perceived that cavities may be caused by using a bottle or infant drinking cup to drink fluid other than water and frequent snacking. Findings illuminate the knowledge gaps in this sample of parents of preschoolers. Pediatric nurses can play a key role in promoting children's oral health and preventing dental caries by proving anticipatory guidance and education to children and their parents at well child visits, during hospitalization, and in school and community settings.

Asthma education and health outcomes of children aged 8 to 12 years.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health outcomes of 8- to 12-year-old urban-dwelling children with moderate to severe persistent asthma who participated in a modified Open Airways for Schools (OAS) asthma education program. It was hypothesized that the intervention group would have improved health outcomes when compared to control. A 2-group, 3-points-in-time method was used to conduct the study. The intervention group demonstrated significant and sustained improvement in asthma knowledge. There was no significant difference between groups for quality of life or pulmonary function. While OAS is a good program for asthma education, the program alone may not be sufficient to improve risk factors associated with poor pulmonary function. Future studies should incorporate environmental interventions.