Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program: Long-term impact on confidence and attitudes on SANE trainees.

AIM/OBJECTIVE: The current study examined the long-term impact of SANE programming on the confidence of SANE trainees and on their attitudes toward the SANE role after obtaining SANE certification. BACKGROUND: Nationally, sexual assault examiners (SANEs) are in short supply. However, the shortage of SANE nurses takes on a special meaning in the medically underserved United States- Mexico border region where human trafficking is seen as a threat in the region and sexual assaults may be less likely to be reported. In recent years, SANE training programs have established across the country to address the shortage of SANEs. Although positive outcomes have been reported among SANE training programs, the long-term outcomes of programming for trainees are not known. DESIGN: A descriptive longitudinal study with repeated measures was conducted. METHOD: A total of N = 66 registered nurses who had more than 2 years of nursing work experience were recruited to participate in a SANE training program. The current study included only n = 27 participants who completed the questionnaire at 3 points (Time 1) baseline, (Time 2) 6 months after SANE certification, and at (Time 3) 12 months after SANE certification. General linear modeling and repeated measures analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. Type 1 error was set at p = 0.10. An original 43-item questionnaire was developed to measure the SANE trainees' confidence and their attitudes toward the SANE role. RESULTS: Initially, an increased sense of self-confidence was found among trainees at least six months after completing SANE certification; however, this slowly diminished after one year. Likewise, attitudes toward the SANE role deteriorated six months after obtaining SANE certification. CONCLUSION: Lack of support and infrastructure to integrate SANE into the wider medico-legal community could explain the diminishing confidence and attitudes of SANE toward the role. The findings of this study have implications for the establishment of support infrastructures in the workplace and community to enhance the recruitment of nurses in SANE programs, the retention of SANEs in the workforce, the sustainability of SANE programs in underserved communities, and the establishment of protocols to integrate SANEs into sexual assault response teams (SARTs), especially in medically underserved US-Mexico border regions.

Perceived stress among Hispanic young adults: Impact of the coping with work and family stress program.

Objective: To examine the effect of an evidence-based curriculum on stress perceptions across time. Participants: Hispanic college students from a Hispanic-serving institution in a U.S. southern border city. Methods: A permuted block design with repeated measures was used. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The treatment group received the Coping with Work and Family Stress (CWFS) evidence-based curriculum while the control group did not receive any programming. Data were collected from both the groups at baseline, exit, and at 3-month follow-up. Results: Stress reduction was observed among program participants however an unintended negative consequence of the intervention was found among those who experience intimate partner violence. Conclusion: The CWFS evidence-based intervention may be appropriate to use in reducing general types of stress but perhaps not stress resulting from intimate partner violence.

Building a Capacity of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners in an Underserved U.S.-Mexico Border Region.

ABSTRACT: Sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) conduct medical forensic examinations for persons who have been sexually assaulted. Positive psychological effects, high prosecution rates, and increased victim self-efficacy to seek resources for recovery were reported among sexual assault victims who received forensic care from SANEs. However, such endeavors may be very challenging to achieve because of the severe shortage of certified SANEs. This article will describe how one institution located in a medically underserved U.S.-Mexico border town built a SANE program to increase the capacity of SANEs in the region through 3-year grant funding. The lessons learned, challenges faced during implementation, and sustainability plans including integrating SANEs into the local medicolegal system to seek justice for sexual assault victims are critically addressed in this article.

Dealing with stroke: Perspectives from stroke survivors and stroke caregivers from an underserved Hispanic community.

Globally, stroke is the leading cause of death and disease burden. While post-stroke studies have been conducted, they excluded survivors and caregivers from underserved communities. It can be argued that the impact of stroke on survivors and caregivers from underserved communities may be greater. Using qualitative exploratory research design, the purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of post-stroke recovery and readjustment among stroke survivors and stroke caregivers from an underserved community. Two separate focus groups were conducted, one each for stroke survivors and caregivers. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Finding meaning in life is the general theme of stroke survivors' and stroke caregivers' journey of post-stroke recovery and readjustment. For stroke survivors, the transition to stroke recovery required time, life goal reconfiguration, willpower, humor, and network support. Post-stroke caregiving is a daily navigation and negotiation influenced by internal and external processes. Personal, economic, and socio-cultural nuances play a role in how post-stroke recovery is lived and experienced. Study findings highlight the importance of policies to support family-centered and system-level advocacy in post-stroke care.

Perceptions matter: faculty caring, campus racial climate and academic performance.

AIM: Examine the influence of students' perception of faculty caring on academic performance and the moderating role of students' perceptions of campus racial climate. BACKGROUND: There is limited knowledge on how students' perceptions of faculty caring, campus racial climate and academic performance are linked. Understanding this nexus is crucial to improving nursing education. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional data obtained from seven undergraduate nursing programs in Texas, USA. METHOD: Data were from 385 students enrolled in Medical-Surgical 1 over three semesters (March 2010-December 2010). Six sets of factor analytic scores derived from 31 original perceptions of faculty caring items served as predictors; one set of scores derived from seven original perceptions of campus racial climate items served as moderating variable in a regression model. Numeric grade was the outcome variable. RESULTS/FINDINGS: Perception of faculty having a positive outlook/compassion had an enhancing effect on performance. As students' perceptions of campus racial climate became increasingly discriminating, the positive association between perceptions of faculty's trust in students' judgment and academic performance became increasingly strong. CONCLUSION: Results highlight ways by which students' perception of micro-level social reality (dyadic interaction) might interact with their perception of meso-level social reality (social environment) to influence their academic performance.

English-Language Proficiency, Academic Networks, and Academic Performance of Mexican American Baccalaureate Nursing Students.

AIM: We examine how academic networks mediate between English-language proficiency and academic performance. BACKGROUND: The relationship between English-language proficiency and academic performance remains inconclusive; it is possible that academic networks play a role in this relationship. Filling this knowledge gap is central to building best practices in teaching, and to evaluating the impact of networks on success. METHOD: Data were analyzed from 164 Mexican American nursing students. We used English Language Acculturation Scale (ELAS) items as predictors, interaction with academic networks as the mediating variable, and course grade as the outcome; regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Interaction with academic networks correlated with grades; ELAS was not significant. Instead, academic networks mediated between entrance GPA and grades, an unexpected finding. CONCLUSION: Academic networks are critical in academic performance. However, only those students who have a history of high performance are likely to have or to activate academic networks.

Lived experiences relating to pediatric surgery: the case of Mexican American mothers in a southern US border city.

PURPOSE: This study examined the lived experiences of Mexican American mothers residing near a US/Mexico border town whose children underwent a surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia. DESIGN: Phenomenology was used to examine the lived experiences of the participants. METHOD: Twelve Mexican American mothers were interviewed in the preoperative phase; 9 from the 12 participants were interviewed in the post-surgery phase. Giorgi's method of phenomenological analysis was used to identify the common themes. FINDINGS: Thematic differences and commonalities were found in the lived experiences between bilingual and monolingual Spanish-speaking Mexican American mothers in the preoperative and post-surgery phase. CONCLUSION: The lived experiences of Mexican American mothers regarding their children's surgery are shaped by language barriers and sociocultural factors. The findings of this study could inform health care providers on how to prepare Mexican American mothers about their children's surgery requiring general anesthesia.

Programmatic and teaching initiatives for ethnically diverse nursing students: a literature review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the evidence of programmatic and teaching initiatives implemented by nursing faculty to enhance the academic success rates of ethnically diverse students (EDS). METHODS: A search of the literature in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and MEDLINE databases, wherein primary sources about programmatic and teaching initiative to promote academic success among EDS, was conducted. Using specific the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature subject headings and Medical Subject Headings, 230 articles were retrieved from both databases. A total of 22 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2011 were included in the literature review. RESULTS: We found that evidence on the predominant programmatic and teaching initiatives for EDS academic success was inconclusive. The most common programmatic and teaching initiatives implemented by nursing faculty were peer mentoring, faculty-student mentoring, social networking, academic support, and financial support. CONCLUSION: Although positive student outcomes were reported about programmatic and teaching initiatives for EDS, the evidence remained inconclusive. Recommendations for policy and future research in this area of nursing education research were provided.