Embracing the Value of Confidence and Intention in Program Design.

Assessing participants' degree of confidence and intention related to use of knowledge and skill gained during continuing education programming provides insight into the effectiveness of methodologies used during program delivery. An analysis of participant confidence and intention levels from two programs demonstrates how using active learning strategies can positively influence the confidence and intention levels of learners. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(1):5-7.].

Bags and blogs: creating an ostomy experience for nursing students.

BACKGROUND: There are well over three-quarters of a million people living in the United States with an ostomy. These individuals experience many physical and emotional challenges which nurses should address during the in-patient hospitalization experience. PURPOSE: The purpose of this educational activity was to provide undergraduate nursing students with a simulated laboratory experience which allowed the student to discuss and experience some of the challenges of living with an ostomy. METHOD: Small group work, an experiential learning activity, and blogging were used to foster the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective development of the nursing students. RESULTS: All 134 students participated in the small group work and blogging experience and over 100 students participated in the experiential learning activity of wearing an ostomy bag overnight with the bag containing a small amount of simulated fecal material. DISCUSSION: The impact of the simulated experience is evident in the depth of awareness and emotion expressed in the blogs. The students collectively acknowledged the value of the activity and the impact the gained awareness had on their careers as nurses. CONCLUSION: The use of social technology and the provision of learning activities, not available on the clinical unit, can have a significant impact on the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective development of nursing students.

Introduction of rehabilitation nursing concepts in Cambodia.

Cambodia is a poor country in Southeast Asia; 80% of its 14.1 million people are sustenance farmers (Central Intelligence Agency, 2006). Health Volunteers Overseas, based in Washington, DC, and Sihanouk Hospital of Hope in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, collaborate to recruit master's-prepared nurse educators to participate in volunteer teaching trips to enhance the knowledge and skill set of Cambodian staff nurses. A methodical series of steps were taken to develop a basic lecture series regarding the care of patients with brain and spinal cord injuries, taking into consideration Cambodian healthcare beliefs and health system resources. This article describes the processes used to develop the lectures and the realities of teaching on the other side of the world.

Grief is more than tears.

Much has been written in the professional and popular literature about grief. The multiplicity of sources for information about the phenomenon often leads to confusion regarding terminology and process. In addition, assessment and intervention methods show the phenomenon as unidimensional despite evidence to the contrary. Because nursing routinely deals with grief, it is important that a framework be developed to help understand the process and guide appropriate interventions. The Neuman systems model is particularly well suited as a framework because concepts found in the model are similar to descriptions of the concept of grief. An analysis of the grief concept using the Neuman model is presented, with perinatal grief presented as an example.