A Nursing Workforce Initiative: Increasing the Latino/Hispanic BSN Workforce.

Of the 3 million nurses in the United States, only 5.4% of registered nurses are Latinos. This is a grave concern since the U.S. Census' projected increase of Latinos in the United States is expected to be 28% by 2060. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine report recommended a diverse workforce in health care to improve health outcomes. However, the increase in the Latino nursing workforce continues to be low compared to with the population of Latinos in the country. The National Association of Hispanic Nurses and the University of Alabama partnered to increase the number of baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses in the workforce. BAMA-Latino Project (BAMA-L) is a Health Resources and Services Administration-funded program to increase the diversity of registered nurses in the nursing workforce. The purpose of this article is to present the development and implementation of BAMA-L.

Measured Emotional Intelligence in Baccalaureate Nursing Education: A Longitudinal Study.

Emotional intelligence (EI) includes the ability to perceive, facilitate, understand, and manage emotions. EI impacts the quality of care nurses provide to patients as members of the health care team. The purpose of this study was to determine if measured EI of nursing students changed during a professional nursing program. A quantitative longitudinal correlational design was used to measure EI scores of nursing students at the beginning and end of a baccalaureate nursing program. Findings include a statistically significant decrease of total EI scores over time, as well as a significant decrease in two of the ability subscales.

Clinical Judgment During Simulation: A Comparison of Student and Faculty Scores.

This study utilized the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) to investigate the relationship between the student's self-assessment of clinical judgment skills and the faculty's assessment during a human patient simulation. The study used a quantitative design with baccalaureate nursing students (n = 94) enrolled in an adult health course as participants. The data revealed a positive correlation between evaluator and student scores on the LCJR. The findings support the use of the LCJR in combination with simulation to evaluate nursing students' clinical judgment skills and to quantify competency levels.

Building Bridges: The Journey of Alabama's Health Action Coalition.

AIM: The Alabama Health Action Coalition is a state coalition whose purpose is to enable access to high-quality, safe, and patient-centered health care for all Alabamians by leading change in nursing and health care. BACKGROUND: The Alabama Health Action Coalition has four focus areas: advancing nursing education, improving nursing workforce data, promoting diversity among nursing and health care professionals, and fostering a culture of health. METHOD: From 2012 to 2014, the Advancing Education Taskforce and Health Workforce Committee initiated processes to maximize resources, track changes in workforce data, and provide support for goal achievement. RESULTS: Outcomes included an increase in the number of nurses with a BSN and higher degrees from 35 percent to 50 percent, nearing national averages. CONCLUSION: Tracking of trends continues with 2016 data. This growth is particularly important in a state with a large, underserved population and high percentage of rural areas.

An Innovative Academic/Service Partnership to Increase BSN-Prepared RNs in a Rural Hospital.

Developing innovative ways to increase BSN-prepared nurses in hospitals in rural regions is a struggle. A partnership between 1 hospital and a local university to support the associate-degree new graduates to progress toward their BSN is proving to be a success.

Comparing traditional measures of academic success with emotional intelligence scores in nursing students.

OBJECTIVE: Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth. EI is increasingly discussed in healthcare as having a potential role in nursing. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the causal relationship between EI scores and the traditional academic admission criteria (GPA) and evaluation methods of a baccalaureate nursing program. METHODS: The sample included second semester upper division nursing students (n = 85). EI was measured using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). RESULTS: The results of the statistical analysis (MANOVA, ANOVA and Pearson correlational coefficient) found no significant relationships or correlations with the current methods of evaluation for admission to nursing school or the evaluation methods used once students are in the nursing program. CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that assessing a nursing student's EI is measuring a different type of intelligence than that represented by academic achievement. Based on the findings of this study and the current state of nursing education, EI abilities should be included as part of the admission criteria for nursing programs.