The lived experience of nurses enrolled in the Regents College Nursing Program.

This qualitative research study was undertaken to investigate the experience of being a registered nurse (RN) student enrolled in a specific nontraditional nursing program, ie, Regents College Nursing Program (RCNP), from the perspective of the RCNP baccalaureate graduate. Fifteen RN bachelor's of science in nursing (BSN) graduates of RCNP participated in this descriptive phenomenological investigation in which participant interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed phenomenologically using Colaizzi's methodology. An exploration of the language of human experience and human expression yielded 101 themes within 20 theme clusters, yet the meaning of the experience was characterized by 8 major clusters that included recounting reasons for choosing RCNP, describing learning approaches for testing, describing the challenges of testing conditions, experiencing stress and describing its effects, describing feelings of uneasiness, describing responses to failure, providing support, and finding ways of mastering Regents. It also was discovered that an underlying theme of stress suggested a pervasive pattern throughout the thematic clusters: stress wove its way throughout the fabric of the experience and caused a disruption of the entire design. The interpreted description of the lived experience of these RN students uncovered reasons for RN baccalaureate program selection by nurses that supported previous research assumptions, isolated specific stressors affecting nurses involved in performance testing, and clarified specific needs of nurses, especially with regard to support networks and learning resources. The results of this study may provide future RN students with information to make a more informed decision about choosing RCNP for a baccalaureate program. In addition, a better understanding of adult learners may assist nurse educators in developing curricula that facilitate professional growth for RN students and relieve some of the possible stress associated with the education process.

Developing case studies.

The case method stimulates critical thinking through problem analysis of real or hypothetical cases. Developing clear, concise, fact-filling cases that promote problem solving in the classroom is not easy. The author presents a systematic, seven-step process for case construction.

Flavones. 2. Synthesis and structure-activity relationship of flavodilol and its analogues, a novel class of antihypertensive agents with catecholamine depleting properties.

(3-Phenyl-7-flavonoxy)propanolamines have been shown to exhibit antihypertensive activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Although they are structurally similar to classical beta-adrenergic blocking compounds, their activity is not due to inhibition of beta-adrenoceptors. In the present study, a series of simple flavonoxypropanolamines was prepared to further explore the structural requirements for the antihypertensive effect of these compounds. A structure-activity relationship of these derivatives indicates that the position of the oxypropanolamine side chain, the hydroxy group of the side chain, steric bulkiness and length of N substituents, degree of the N-substitution, phenyl group at the 2-position of the chromone nucleus, and substituents of the phenyl group or B ring of the flavone play significant roles in imparting pharmacological effects. In addition, there is a good correlation between the antihypertensive activity and depletion of myocardial norepinephrine. Of these analogues tested, the most effective one was flavodilol. Only the 8-substituted analogue 6 was found to be a beta-antagonist. Flavodilol was chosen for in-depth pharmacological, toxicological, and clinical evaluation.