Inside Looking Out: Updated Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing Practice.

BACKGROUND: The original Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing published in 2016, and updated in 2020, provides a framework for rehabilitation nursing practice. AIM: This companion, but stand-alone, article to a 2022 publication further explicates and informs the updated Competency Model from inside looking out toward an increasing application for evidence-based practice (EBP). APPROACH: An eight-member 2020 ARN Task Force used an iterative process to review the original four domains and related competencies and came to consensus for the updated model. OUTCOME: This model provides revised competency role descriptors or behaviors that guide nurses practicing at different proficiency levels in various settings. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing is a premier resource that can advance professional rehabilitation nursing and guide EBP, including evaluation, quality improvement, and research. The model describes the nurse's role on the intra/interprofessional team and fosters collaboration with other healthcare professionals to enhance the quality of life for those affected by disability and chronic illness. CONCLUSION: The domains and associated competencies of this model clarify nursing roles at different proficiency levels, and role descriptors reflect current practice, supporting advancement of the specialty practice of rehabilitation nursing well into the 21st century.

Six Steps in Reading to Appraise Scientific Publications: Discover a Different Path.

BACKGROUND: Effectively reading scientific publications, for example, research/quality improvement, is an acquired skill. Critical appraisal identifies articles' strengths and weaknesses related to credibility and authenticity or appropriate standards. AIM: To stimulate rehabilitation nurses' interest/participation in reading to appraise published studies (using brief evaluation questions). STEPS APPROACH: Read in this order: (1) title, abstract, and key words (are these words clear and directly connected to identified problem?), (2) discussion and conclusion (how are results/findings interpreted; are there recommendations for actions?), (3) results/findings (do key outcomes relate to the problem?), (4) introduction and review of literature (what are main arguments for study/project; does the study build on what's already known?), (5) data collection and analysis methods (are materials/procedures described for gathering information and evaluation?), and (6) references (are citations accurate/up-to-date?). DISCUSSION/RELEVANCE/CONCLUSION: Steps taken on this path help close the gap in reading to appraise scientific publications, discovering ways to build evidence-based rehabilitation nursing practices.

Male Caregivers' Stories: How They Successfully Adjust to Partners With Stroke.

Men transitioning from noncaregiver to caregiver for their partner (wife or long-term friend) with stroke may find that role unsettling. Male caregivers' success stories in caring for these partners through authors' reflections from their experience are shared. These men's stories focused on achievements: (1) gaining confidence through functional improvement; (2) nurturing success through mutually positive attitude; and (3) resuming "normal" roles. Providers can learn from these accounts, sharing these success stories with other caregivers so that they can successfully adapt to new roles in caring for women partners with stroke.

Updated Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing: Practice Applications.

BACKGROUND: The Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing is a lens through which nurses can view their practice; the four domains provide a template that guides that practice. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe a task force's review procedures and share the updated model. APPRAISAL PROCESS: A rehabilitation nursing task force appraised the model over the course of 1 year. REVISION OUTCOMES: The original four domains remain, with wording changes for content and clarity throughout. Notable changes include (1) new competency for Domain 1 that focuses on the understanding of the worldview of individuals who are culturally different and (2) case stories for each domain related to nurses' proficiency (beginner, intermediate, and expert). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This updated model can be used to explicate the rehabilitation nurses' role on intra/interprofessional teams, as well as provide a framework for education and staff orientation/performance evaluation. CONCLUSION: This competency model reflects the current practice and advances of the specialty practice of rehabilitation nursing.

The Journey of Web-Based Education for Caregivers of Persons With Dementia: It Didn't Happen Overnight.

Family caregivers provide long-term, complex care in home settings where most persons with dementia (PWD) live. These men/women caregivers differ in responses and approaches to caring problems. Following our review of the research literature and needs assessment from caregivers of PWD (group 1), a comparison revealed key caregiver gender differences in caring problems and approaches. We developed and implemented a Web-based Educational Modules (WBEMs) project focused on gender-based differences to offer unique support for men/women caregivers who face these problems. Other caregiver evaluators (group 2) agreed the WBEMs were well designed with clear, credible, informative content. Evaluators' suggestions for larger font size and navigation directions were incorporated in module improvements. Six modules were eventually placed on an established university-sponsored caregivers' website. WBEMs have potential to reestablish well-being for caregivers of PWD. Home healthcare nurses and other healthcare providers can use, adapt, or create additional modules to meet the needs of and support for caregivers and patients living in community settings.

Innovative qualitative research data collection and analysis activities that engage nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Rather than traditional teacher-centered classrooms, it is important for instructors to shift to student-centered models, encouraging active learning. PROBLEM: The challenge for instructors is to design in-person and/or virtual classroom activities that introduce and engage students in essential aspects of qualitative research data collection and analysis. APPROACH: Two instructor-created and student-centered activities focused on qualitative data collection and analysis strategies that connect instructors and undergraduate or graduate nursing research students are described. OUTCOMES: Instructors witnessed students' interaction and robust group discussion. Positive students' evaluations and quantitative success on assignments were noted. Outcomes suggest that these activities (in-person or virtual-platform) for qualitative data collection and analysis are effective classroom strategies to present difficult concepts in an easily understood and learner-friendly context. CONCLUSIONS: These leaning activities move students to engage with and learn from one another under instructor's guidance. Other faculty may use these activities in structuring classrooms that involve and stimulate students' critical thinking about qualitative research methods.

Professional Development for Inexperienced Speakers: Making Effective Oral Presentations and Audience Connections.

ABSTRACT: This article addresses how inexperienced speakers can prepare and deliver oral presentations that make connections to audiences. Nursing students/providers, university and staff development instructors, or managers may find these tips helpful. Successful content delivery (beginning, middle, and ending "remarks") depends on setting the right tone, incorporating engaging activities, and concluding with recommendations for audiences. Exemplars are presented for each "remarks section" using a project focused on one nurse's responses in a web-based caregivers' support group.

State Tested Nursing Assistants' Workplace Experiences That Threaten or Support Intent to Stay.

PURPOSE: Over 1 million Americans utilize skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) annually. Within SNFs, State Tested Nursing Assistants (STNAs) are primary caregivers; however, low retention rates are notable and threaten patient care. DESIGN: A phenomenological, qualitative study was conducted to explore intrinsic factors that influence STNAs' intent to stay in their positions. METHODS: Ten STNAs employed at for-profit SNFs participated in semistructured face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed to identify broad concepts and recurrent themes. FINDINGS: Findings suggest that intrinsic factors supporting and threatening intent to stay included the fulfillment of basic psychological needs. Supporting themes included self-confidence, appreciation, positive relationships, and a willingness to go beyond required duties. Threatening themes included frustration, lack of support, and career advancement opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide an understanding of factors that influence STNAs' intent to stay. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results may help guide the development of responsive strategies that improve quality and continuity of care in SNFs.

Nurse Author: Who Me? Yes, You!

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Potential nurse authors may find writing a challenge, including managing the publication process from getting started through submission to revision of the work and its acceptance. This special article presents strategies to help inexperienced writers develop and hone skills for journal publication. POTENTIAL PUBLICATION STRATEGIES: Tips discussed here that may lead to manuscript acceptance include selecting a topic of interest, using motivational self-talk approaches and structuring time to write, choosing coauthors, targeting a journal for submission, writing strong sentences in active voice, developing a structured abstract, using correct citation and reference formats, understanding reviews and resubmitting the manuscript, and keeping momentum to produce continued writing results. Practical writing hints are also suggested for inexperienced writers. RELEVANCE AND CONCLUSION: These strategies can help guide nurse writers in planning, navigating the system, and finding success as a published author.

Male Caregivers Report Problems in Caring at Home After Spouses Survive Stroke.

STROKE is sudden and often traumatic with results that affect both the patient and family members who provide care. Approximately 40% of individuals caring for family members/friends are male. Transitioning from the noncaregiver role to caregiver can be unsettling. Guided by Friedemann's framework of systemic organization, this secondary data analysis examined problems reported by men caring for spouses in the first year after stroke. Using a mixed methods design, 73 caregivers (CGs) participated in bimonthly telephone interviews for 1 year. For this analysis, only the males caring for spouses (n = 12 married and n = 1 unmarried partner) were examined. These data were analyzed using Colaizzi's rigorous method of content analysis. Five problem themes emerged: 1) adjusting to multitasking in everyday living (Friedemann's system maintenance and individuation), 2) recognizing physical and mental disabilities (coherence), 3) dealing with outside forces and limited resources (individuation), 4) struggling to return to normal (system maintenance), and 5) feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted (system maintenance). These problem themes demonstrated incongruence as the men sought to maintain their prior lives.Theory-based themes of male stroke CGs' problems were uncovered that can be used to target interventions to help them achieve balance between incongruence and congruence in their lives.

Family caregivers' reports of hospitalizations and emergency department visits in community-dwelling individuals with dementia.

Individuals with dementia in the United States have higher rates of hospitalizations and emergency department visits compared to those without. This descriptive study examined the frequency of hospitalizations and emergency department visits among community-dwelling individuals with dementia, reasons for hospitalizations and emergency department visits, and caregivers' actions to prevent these events. Family caregivers ( n = 63) from education/support groups offered through Alzheimer's Association chapters in western Ohio completed a survey. Twenty-two percent of caregivers reported that their care recipient stayed overnight in the hospital and 30% reported that their care recipient visited the emergency department at least once in the past three months. The most frequent reasons for hospitalization and emergency department visits, such as urinary tract infections and fall-related injuries, were potentially avoidable. Caregivers reported giving medications, seeking healthcare services, and obtaining home care services, as the most frequently used preventive actions. Family caregivers of individuals with dementia should be provided substantive education about preventable hospitalizations and emergency department visits.