Meeting a Pandemic Challenge for Interprofessional Education for Nurse Graduate Students: Development of a Remote Session Using Case Studies.

ABSTRACT: Interprofessional education has become a mainstay of undergraduate and graduate nursing curricula. However, with limitations to physical contact brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to provide such an experience was challenged. A remote session involving graduate family nurse practitioner, physical therapy, and occupational therapy students was devised using case studies in small groups with a faculty facilitator. Students evaluated the event using the Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised instrument, version 2. This article focuses on the development of the program and use of the instrument with graduate students.

Meeting FNP students' and faculty clinical needs: Two perspectives.

Appropriate clinical practice sites with skilled preceptors are the backbone of family nurse practitioner (FNP) students' education. Faculty are also in need of practice sites to stay abreast of current clinical practice and maintain clinical hours for certification. The purpose of this article is to relate the process of developing a practice model to meet the needs of the FNP student and faculty. Academia and student life professionals collaborated to use an existing student health center on campus as an education site with an FNP nursing faculty member as a preceptor. This qualitative descriptive study presents reflections of the experience from the student perspective. Three main themes were identified: independence, confidence, and trust. Lessons learned from the faculty perspective are also reviewed. Benefits of the project ultimately outweighed barriers. The interdepartmental precepted practice experience completed its fourth successful year and maintains support through the university's student life division. The model may provide strategies, particularly for FNP programs and faculty in smaller universities, to increase and diversify clinical experiences and provide a faculty practice site.

The development of an in-house dispensary in a college health center.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A small college health center discovered that students perceived obtaining prescribed medication was a barrier to adherence to short-term antibiotic therapy. To address this specific barrier, an in-house dispensary was developed and modified over the past several years to meet the needs of students. Partnering with a local pharmacy has made the process of obtaining prescriptions easier for the students. DATA SOURCES: Data were extracted from the electronic health records at Student Health Services for the academic year 2014-2015. A total of 910 prescriptions were filled in-house during that time, compared to 102 prescriptions written for purchase elsewhere. CONCLUSIONS: Students are utilizing the in-house dispensary more often than taking a prescription to a pharmacy and generally regard the service as convenient. Despite challenges in changing drug prices and other factors that influence medication adherence, dispensing a small number of drugs in the clinic has been feasible and well received. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSE PRACTITIONERS: Nurse practitioners must be aware of specific perceived barriers for their practice population and develop interventions to overcome them. The evaluation of such interventions is imperative for modifications and sustainability.

Food-drug interactions: Putting evidence into practice.

Food-drug interactions occur more often than thought. This manuscript describes the most common interactions the NP may encounter in primary care practice. A thorough and detailed health history and dietary recall are essential for identifying potential problems when prescribing or evaluating medication efficacy. Prevention and education are vital.

Revisiting the freshman "15": assessing body mass index in the first college year and beyond.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine body mass index (BMI) of college freshmen and compare with BMI in senior or graduate year of school. DATA SOURCES: A convenience sample was drawn from health records of students at a small private university in the northeast United States. BMIs were calculated for those students who had an admission physical examination with documented height and weight and a subsequent physical examination in senior or graduate year. Descriptive statistics and a paired t-test were performed. No significant difference was determined statistically between admission BMI and BMI in later years. The rate of overweight and obese students rose from 25.6% to 32% in the time interval between freshman and senior or graduate year. CONCLUSIONS: Those students who entered college with BMIs considered to be overweight or obese generally were still overweight or obese in the later college years in this population. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurse practitioners in college health and in private practice who assess traditional college-age young adults are in a position to provide education about healthy eating habits, weight loss strategies, and community resources as well as to monitor weights and provide support.