The Importance of Board Certification.

The investment to support and obtain board certification demonstrates a nurse leader's commitment to their staff, the organization, and the communities they serve. It is important for nurse leaders to appreciate how organizational support of board certification can positively impact patient care and to be advocates for funding to support board certification for their staff. This month's Magnet® Perspectives column discusses the empirical evidence, as well as the professional value of certification.

Effect of Clinical Reasoning Seminars on Medical-Surgical Specialty HESI Examination Scores.

BACKGROUND: Clinical reasoning and clinical judgment have been identified as essential skills for the delivery of quality patient care. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of clinical reasoning seminars (CRSs) on medical-surgical specialty HESI examination scores of high-risk students. METHODS: A retrospective correlational design was used for this study, which involved a review of medical-surgical HESI scores for 115 junior-level baccalaureate nursing students who were identified as academically high-risk and who participated in a series of CRSs. RESULTS: The participation in CRSs by high-risk students did not have a statistically significant impact on the medical-surgical HESI scores. Students who attended CRSs, however, had a higher mean medical-surgical HESI score than students who did not attend any CRSs. CONCLUSION: Although statistical differences were not found, it appears that high-risk students may have benefitted from participation in CRSs.

Communication during crisis.

The importance of leadership, messaging, and overcoming barriers.

Key considerations for moving to a nurse faculty role: A dean's perspective.

Expert nurse practitioners (NPs) grounded in clinical practice are needed to prepare the future NPs. This article discusses key considerations for moving from the role of expert clinician to nurse educator. The considerations for making the move to the educator role including reflection on rewards associated with teaching, similarities between practice and education, faculty support, and role responsibilities are presented from a dean's perspective. The typical hiring process is discussed including what questions may be asked of the faculty candidate as well as what questions should be asked by the faculty candidate.

Swinging bridges of opportunity and challenges: memoirs of an African American nurse practitioner pioneer on providing primary care for the underserved.

This article presents the memoirs of Mrs. Viola D. Brown, RN, FNP, a pioneer African American nurse practitioner, on opportunities and challenges involved in providing primary and public health care for underserved populations in urban and rural areas of Kentucky. Mrs. Brown began her career with a visit to Mary Breckinridge and the Frontier Nursing Service, and she was elected into the University of Kentucky's Department of Public Health Hall of Fame in 2005. This article is an adapted version of the closing keynote address presented at the 13th Primary Care for the Underserved Conference held March 2005.

Clinical practice opportunities for advanced practice nurses.

With approximately 132,000 practicing APNs and a continued need for APNs, the role will continue to expand. Many different business options and models for healthcare practice exist for the APN. Commonly thought of professional practice options for APNs include private practice, joint or collaborative practice, and group practice. Each model of professional practice brings with it different roles and responsibilities, rewards and challenges, and criteria for success. When evaluating different practice opportunities. APNs must be aware of each of these factors and evaluate each factor based on his or her chosen lifestyle. This article has presented an overview of common practice models and the roles and responsibilities, challenges and rewards, criteria for success, and lifestyle considerations inherent in each.