We Have to Really Decide: The Childbearing Decisions of Women With Congenital Heart Disease.

BACKGROUND: Medical management and surgical improvement techniques permit persons with congenital heart conditions to live longer. Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) have more childbearing options than previously available to them. However, there is an increased childbearing risk associated with certain types of CHD. Minimal investigation has been given to the childbearing decision-making experiences and adaptation of women with CHD. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to gain insight into the childbearing decision-making and adaptation experiences of women with CHD. METHODS: Using a narrative inquiry approach, 17 adult women with CHD of any severity, of childbearing age, who had, within the last 5 years, made a decision regarding childbearing, were interviewed. In this study, we applied the key components of the Roy Adaptation Model to understand childbearing decision-making experiences and their adaptation. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Data analysis revealed 5 stages of childbearing decision making: (1) prologue: stimulus to consider childbearing; (2) exploring childbearing options; (3) considering childbearing options; (4) choosing to bear or not to bear a child; and (5) epilogue: adapting to the childbearing decision. Adaptation occurred in the areas of self-concept (ie, emotional adaptation), role function (ie, relational adaptation), and interdependence (ie, interactional adaptation). CONCLUSION: Childbearing decision making is a complex personal decision that is carefully and deliberately made. Women with CHD long for children and seek childbearing information from various resources and may experience grief regarding the inability to bear children. A greater understanding of childbearing decision making can be useful in addressing women's childbearing emotions and assist with adaptation to childbearing needs.

Succession planning for academic nursing.

Academic nursing must plan for the future by retaining, developing, and recruiting academic nurse leaders, utilizing best practices in succession planning. This article presents a case study in which an evidence-based model was developed to provide academic nurse leaders with a guide for succession planning. A formal succession plan gives purposeful direction in identifying and developing emerging leaders and is especially useful for individuals who are new to a major leadership role. The author collaborated with an academic nurse leader at a selected College of Nursing in gathering information essential to forecasting future leadership needs. An Executive Summary report, highlighting recommendations, was provided to the academic leader in order to initiate a formal succession plan. The model provides a means for the assessment of current leadership skills and talents, analysis of future needs for academic nurse leaders, and development of evidence-based recommendations to strengthen and improve an academic succession plan. The succession planning model lays the groundwork for academic nursing leaders to achieve and uphold a highly qualified nursing leadership workforce to meet the future needs.

Teaching and learning in a winter wonderland.

During a record-breaking Texas ice storm, one school of nursing kept accelerated BSN students on schedule despite 5 days of school closure. The students were diverted from hazardous travels to the safety of warm homes with virtual classes and clinicals. The authors discuss their creation of a virtual experience that leveraged smartphones, laptops, eBooks, and Internet resources with existing university technology, allowing students to stay on track.