Emotional Intelligence and Role-Modeling Nursing's Soft Skills.

ABSTRACT: Developing and enhancing emotional intelligence in nursing students is a necessary element of nursing education. Various evidence-based strategies to cultivate emotional intelligence characteristics, such as self-reflection, self-awareness, problem-solving, and interprofessional collaboration in nursing students, are described along with the value of role-modeling Christian qualities that promote empathy and compassion in nursing graduates.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Cultural Competency Training to Improve the Quality of Care: An Evidence-based Practice Project.

BACKGROUND: One evidence-based practice strategy to improve the provision of care for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer population is providing cultural competency training. The aim of this evidence-based practice project was to improve Knowledge and Skills, Openness and Support, and Oppression Awareness for emergency nurses when providing care to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer population in the military health system. METHODS: The single-unit, educational intervention posttest compared with unit personnel historical controls project took place in an emergency department within the military health system. The participants included registered nurses or licensed practical nurses working in the emergency department. The Ally Identity Measure tool was administered to an unmatched convenience sample of emergency nurses in a military health system pre- and postintervention to assess the intervention's effectiveness. Descriptive statistics and group difference testing (t test) were used. RESULTS: The mean Knowledge and Skills subscale score was improved between the pre- and postintervention groups (t(70) = -3.33, P = .001). The mean Openness and Support subscale score was improved between the pre- and postintervention groups (t(70) = -2.06, P = .04). The mean Oppression Awareness subscale demonstrated no significant difference between the pre- and postintervention groups (t(70) = -0.93, P = .36). CONCLUSION: This project illustrated the feasibility of an educational intervention to promote culturally competent care in the ED environment for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer population. The results illustrated that emergency nurses in this military health system were aware of the oppression that this vulnerable population faces.

Cost Savings of Frequent, Concise Skills Competency Training in the Emergency Department.

Nurse educators are confronted with ensuring skills competency and staff compliance to support the provision of safe and quality care. The ED setting presents additional challenges when conducting skills competency training. One military hospital's emergency department implemented a method of frequent, concise skills training sessions to overcome barriers unique to the ED setting; the same method was then implemented at a second military organization owing to the effectiveness of the training approach to increase staff compliance. This article outlines the methods for the implementation of frequent, concise skills training sessions, and it displays the cost savings and increased compliance experienced by the 2 health care organizations after the implementation of this frequent, concise skills training method.