Cooperative learning using simulation to achieve mastery of nasogastric tube insertion.

Traditionally, psychomotor skills training for nursing students involves didactic instruction followed by procedural review and practice with a task trainer, manikin, or classmates. This article describes a novel method of teaching psychomotor skills to associate degree and baccalaureate nursing students, Cooperative Learning Simulation Skills Training (CLSST), in the context of nasogastric tube insertion using a deliberate practice-to-mastery learning model. Student dyads served as operator and student learner. Automatic scoring was recorded in the debriefing log. Student pairs alternated roles until they achieved mastery, after which they were assessed individually. Median checklist scores of 100% were achieved by students in both programs after one practice session and through evaluation. Students and faculty provided positive feedback regarding this educational innovation. CLSST in a deliberate practice-to-mastery learning paradigm offers a novel way to teach psychomotor skills in nursing curricula and decreases the instructor-to-student ratio.

Qualitative evaluation of South Carolina's Postpartum/Infant Home Visit program.

Many states have introduced home visitation programs to improve the health of mothers and newborn infants. In South Carolina, the Postpartum/Infant Home Visit (P/IHV) program seeks to provide all Medicaid-eligible mothers and infants with at least one home visit by a nurse or other qualified health professional. In the summer 2002, the authors conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the P/IHV program using both qualitative and quantitative methods. This article describes the qualitative methods and findings from the larger study. Focus groups were held with nurses who provide P/IHV visits to gain insight into the structure and functioning of the P/IHV program, to hear firsthand the nurses' experiences with the program, and to provide guidance in developing the empiric model for measuring cost-benefit. Analysis of the focus-group data suggests that what actually occurs during a home visit is fairly standardized. Nurses indicated that they were knowledgeable about community resources and services available to the families they serve. Referral processes were identified as an important factor in determining whether a mother receives a home visit. Overall, the nurses felt that the home visit program has had a positive impact on the health and well-being of the mothers and infants served.