Minimizing Unconscious Bias in Nursing School Admission.

BACKGROUND: The potential exists for unconscious bias to influence decisions throughout the admission process to nursing school and derail holistic admission review processes. Although little is known about unconscious bias in nursing school admissions, unconscious bias has been demonstrated in nurse educators at levels similar to the general population. METHOD: This article examines concepts of unconscious bias, factors that may interfere with accurate and fair assessment of applicants to nursing school, and ways to mitigate unconscious bias in the application and admission decision processes. RESULTS: Interventions that have shown success in reducing unconscious bias center on increased awareness of the presence of unconscious bias and cognitive strategies that include motivation and effort to counter the unconscious bias. CONCLUSION: Creating structures in the admission process that promote fairness and reduce the risk of relying on automatic judgments can minimize the influence of unconscious bias on admission decisions. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(6):317-323.].

Writing a Diversity and Inclusivity Statement: Guidelines for Nursing Programs and Faculty.

BACKGROUND: For decades, nursing programs have worked to address the need for a culturally diverse workforce and student body to better reflect the populations they serve. The development of a diversity and inclusivity statement is a first step in ameliorating this issue. PROBLEM: A clearly communicated diversity and inclusivity statement should demonstrate a nursing organization's commitment to the value of people from all backgrounds. It should include language that emphasizes the value of diverse cultures, experiences, thoughts, and contributions. APPROACH: Nursing faculty can benefit from an organized and literature-supported model for writing meaningful diversity and inclusivity statements. CONCLUSIONS: Such an approach will communicate a nursing program's commitment to diversity and inclusion in the organization's mission, policies, practices, relationships, and curricula. This article provides nursing faculty with evidence-supported guidelines for writing meaningful diversity, inclusion, and equity statements for their nursing programs.

Just and Realistic Expectations for Persons with Disabilities Practicing Nursing.

The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and requires schools to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities. The profession of nursing is striving for diversity and inclusion, but barriers still exist to realizing accommodations for people with disabilities. Promoting disclosure, a supportive and enabling environment, resilience, and realistic expectations are important considerations if we are to include among our ranks health professionals who can understand, based on similar life experiences of disability, a fuller range of perspectives of the patients we care for.

La formación humanística de las enfermeras: una necesidad insoslayable / The humanistic formation of nurses: unavoidable requirement

Introducción: el fundamento de esta investigación -realizada a lo largo de siete años (1995-2002)- parte del conocimiento del pasado para comprender el presente y transformar el futuro. Desde la fundación de la primera Escuela de Enfermeras en Cuba, se tuvo en cuenta la necesidad de conocimientos acerca de la Historia de la profesión, como contenido importante para fortalecer la vocación y la identidad profesional; y también la enseñanza de la ética, como fundamento teórico de la conducta moral de las futuras profesionales. En los años 90s se evidenció deterioro del modelo actuante entre un número nada despreciable de enfermeras, de diferentes grupos de edades; además, poca identidad con la profesión, pobre autoestima y orgullo profesional. Se hacía necesario responder al problema científico generado: ¿cómo fortalecer identidad profesional y valores éticos profesionales?. Objetivo: socializar con los profesionales de enfermería con el propósito de contribuir a la formación humanística de las enfermeras. Métodos: cualitativo e Histórico. Tipo de investigación: Investigación-acción, usando las técnicas de: encuesta, observación participante, grupo focal, Delphi, análisis documental, entrevista histórica y triangulación de datos. Conclusiones: cuando surgieron los Planes D en Cuba, en el año 2002, fueron incluidas las asignaturas curriculares de Historia de la Enfermería y Ética y Bioética en Enfermería, en reconocimiento a la necesidad de la formación humanística de estos profesionales, cuyos programas y textos básicos fueron propuestos y elaborados por la autora. Sin embargo, en la siguiente edición se eliminó la Ética y Bioética, lo que desestima el anterior reconocimiento(AU)

Introduction: The foundation of this research work, which was carried out from 1995 to 2002, lays in the knowledge of the past to understand the present and to transform the future. From the emergence of the first School of Nurses in Cuba, it was evident that knowledge about the history of this profession was needed since it was an important content to strengthen vocation and professional identity as well as teaching ethics as a theoretical fundamental of the moral behavior of the future nurses. In the 90's, there was deterioration of the performance model in a large number of nurses of different age groups in addition to poor identification with the profession, low self-esteem and professional pride. It was then necessary to respond to the generated scientific problem of how to strengthen the professional identity and the professional ethical values. Objective: To share ideas with the nursing professionals with a view to contributing to the humanistic formation of nurses. Methods: Qualitative and historical methods based on research-action by using techniques such as survey, participating observation, focal group, Delphi, documentary analysis, historical interview and data triangulation. Conclusions: On the emergence of Plans D in Cuba in 2002, curricular subjects like history of nursing, ethics and bioethics were then included in recognition of the requirements of the humanistic formation of these professionals. The basic syllabi and texts were prepared and submitted by the author of this paper. However, the following plans eliminated Ethics and Bioethics, thus denying the previous importance given to them(AU)

A study of an ethics education topic for undergraduate nursing students.

The study aims to explore nursing students' perceptions of the relative value of various aspects of the ethical component of the undergraduate topic, 'Ethics and Law applied to Nursing' (topic NURS2104). To enable time for reflection on ethics in nursing, sampling occurred 1 year after successful completion of the above-mentioned topic and after successful completion of all but the final clinical experience components of the Bachelor of Nursing (BN) degree. A significant proportion of respondents perceived ethics education as relevant to professional practices. It is also noteworthy that the ethical decision-making strategies that had been incorporated into the topic (NURS2104) became transformed by the clinical experience of each particular student. While results of this study are not conclusive, they nevertheless provide important information for future nursing students on the evolutionary development of ethics education.

Application of a partnership model for transformative and sustainable international development.

There are differences of intent and impact between short-term and long-term engagement of U.S. academic institutions with communities of need in developing nations. Global health programs that produce long-term transformative change rather than transient relief are more likely to be sustainable and in ethical harmony with expressed needs of a region or community. This article explores characteristics of successful ethical partnerships in global health and the challenges that threaten them, introducing a consensus community engagement model as a framework for building relationships, evolving an understanding of needs, and collaboratively developing solutions and responses to priority health needs in underserved regions of the world. The community engagement model is applied to a case study of an initiative by a U.S. school of nursing to establish long-term relationships with the nursing community in the Caribbean region with the goal of promoting transformative change through collaborative development of programs and services addressing health care needs of the region's growing elderly population and the increasing prevalence of noncommunicable chronic diseases. Progress of this ongoing long-term relationship is analyzed in the context of the organizational, philosophical, ethical, and resource commitments embodied in this approach to initiation of transformative and sustainable improvements in public health.

Academic dishonesty in nursing schools: an empirical investigation.

Academic dishonesty, whether in the form of plagiarism or cheating on tests, has received renewed attention in the past few decades as pervasive use of the Internet and a presumed deterioration of ethics in the current generation of students has led some, perhaps many, to conclude that academic dishonesty is reaching epidemic proportions. What is lacking in many cases, including in the nursing profession, is empirical support of these trends. This article attempts to provide some of that empirical data and supports the conclusion that cheating is a significant issue in all disciplines today, including nursing. Some preliminary policy implications are also considered.

Policy development for disruptive student behaviors.

Nursing students who demonstrate disruptive and at-risk behaviors in the classroom and clinical arena compromise the learning environment and are unable to provide safe, quality client care. They require early and swift identification, consultation, sanctions, or possible referral into treatment to protect themselves and public safety. The authors describe the evolution of a comprehensive policy for faculty intervention with at-risk students and provide an exemplar of a situation illustrating the use of the policy.

Nursing students' perceptions on the use of anatomical projections as an educational tool

Human anatomy is taught in Stage 1 of undergraduate Nursing programs at a Dublin university school of nursing. Dissection room based practical sessions were recently introduced as part of this module. Nursing candidates were surveyed to assess the value of these sessions as an educational tool. Students’ reactions and concerns regarding the dissection room were also evaluated. 74 students (67 female and 7 male) responded to the questionnaire. 97% of those surveyed were of Irish nationality; other nationalities included Ivorian, Nigerian and Philipino. 54.1% of students reported that they had no previous exposure to dead bodies before entering the dissection room. The majority of students (68.9%) were apprehensive at the thought of visiting the dissection room for the practical class. Loss of appetite was reported by 10.9% of students prior to entering the dissection room. 58.1% of students surveyed reported that the smell in the dissection room disturbed them in some way. The sight of the anatomical specimens also caused some distress (14.9%) as did touching the specimens used (16.3%). 8.2% of nursing students reported dizziness as a physical symptom during the practical session. Other physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling and recurring or disturbing visual images of cadavers did cause some distress among the nursing students surveyed, although this was minimal. Two open-ended questions were asked in order to determine the value of anatomy and the use of anatomical specimens by the students. The vast majority (95%) of students reported that anatomy as a subject is relevant to the nursing profession and is important to comprehend in detail prior to commencing clinical placement. 92% of students surveyed thought that the use of anatomical specimens aids in better visualisation of internal structures. Research findings suggest that although nursing students were apprehensive about practical sessions the majority found them to be very beneficial to their learning. Practical anatomy sessions with the use of prospected specimens can be a valuable learning experience for students (AU)

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The benefits of serving on a hospital ethics committee: a faculty perspective.

Community hospitals ethics committees rarely have formal support from persons within the academic community. The author discusses a liaison between a suburban hospital system and a nearby university school of nursing that garners positive educational, service, and programmatic benefits, related to ethics, for both. The lessons learned and insights gained by a faculty member serving on the ethics committee are examined.

Research environments that promote integrity.

BACKGROUND: The body of empirical knowledge about research integrity and the factors that promote research integrity in nursing research environments remains small. OBJECTIVE: To propose an internal control model as an innovative framework for the design and structure of nursing research environments that promote integrity. METHODS: An internal control model is adapted to illustrate its use for conceptualizing and designing research environments that promote integrity. RESULTS: The internal control model integrates both the organizational elements necessary to promote research integrity and the processes needed to assess research environments. The model provides five interrelated process components within which any number of research integrity variables and processes may be used and studied: internal control environment, risk assessment, internal control activities, monitoring, and information and communication. DISCUSSION: The components of the proposed research integrity internal control model proposed comprise an integrated conceptualization of the processes that provide reasonable assurance that research integrity will be promoted within the nursing research environment. Schools of nursing can use the model to design, implement, and evaluate systems that promote research integrity. The model process components need further exploration to substantiate the use of the model in nursing research environments.

El método científico de enfermería, el proceso de atención, y sus implicaciones éticas y bioéticas / The scientific method of nursing, the nursing care process and its ethical and bioethical implications

La necesidad de capacitar a las enfermeras, desde el punto de vista teórico, en materia ética, para que puedan demostrar en la práctica con su conducta moral, la aplicación de los principios, normas y valores éticos, tanto aquellos universalmente reconocidos como los propios de su cultura, sociedad y profesión, ha constituido la motivación para este artículo de reflexión, cuyo objetivo es apoyar a la docencia de enfermería en la aplicación del método científico de la profesión, el Proceso de Atención, visto desde el prisma de la ética y la bioética(AU)

The necessity to qualify the nurses, from the theoretical point of view, in ethical matter, so that they can demonstrate in the practice with their moral behavior, the application of the principles, norms and ethical values, so much those universally grateful as those characteristic of their culture, society and profession, it has constituted the motivation for this reflection article whose objective is to support to the infirmary docencia in the application of the scientific method of the profession, the Process of Attention, seen from the prism of the ethics and the bioética(AU)

El método científico de enfermería, el proceso de atención, y sus implicaciones éticas y bioéticas / The scientific method of nursing, the nursing care process and its ethical and bioethical implications

La necesidad de capacitar a las enfermeras, desde el punto de vista teórico, en materia ética, para que puedan demostrar en la práctica con su conducta moral, la aplicación de los principios, normas y valores éticos, tanto aquellos universalmente reconocidos como los propios de su cultura, sociedad y profesión, ha constituido la motivación para este artículo de reflexión, cuyo objetivo es apoyar a la docencia de enfermería en la aplicación del método científico de la profesión, el Proceso de Atención, visto desde el prisma de la ética y la bioética(AU)