Factors Contributing to Success in Nursing School: Experiences of African American BSN Students.

ABSTRACT: The nursing workforce is not keeping pace with the racial demographics in the United States. In addition, attrition rates for ethnic minorities in schools of nursing remain high. This qualitative study examined African American students' perceptions of factors that affect successful completion of nursing school. Five themes emerged: being invisible, sense of isolation, proving myself, focus on school as protective, and being misunderstood. Findings suggest that attention to identified influencing factors may affect minority student graduation success, increasing the likelihood of a diverse nursing workforce.

Simulating the Refugee Experience to Cultivate Cultural Competence and Sensitivity.

ABSTRACT: Although the United States has offered refuge to millions of immigrants, healthcare providers still lack sufficient understanding of social and ethnic issues in this population. Sociocultural barriers inhibit service accessibility and compromise the quality and appropriateness of care for resettled refugees. To address this issue, faculty from a school of nursing pioneered a spiritually and culturally centered simulation experience to enhance prelicensure students' cultural competence and sensitivity in caring for refugees.

Genomic analysis of a novel spontaneous albino C57BL/6N mouse strain.

We report an albino C57BL/6N mouse strain carrying a spontaneous mutation in the tyrosinase gene (C57BL/6N-Tyr(cWTSI)). Deep whole genome sequencing of founder mice revealed very little divergence from C57BL/6NJ and C57BL/6N (Taconic). This coisogenic strain will be of great utility for the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC), which uses the EUCOMM/KOMP targeted C57BL/6N ES cell resource, and other investigators wishing to work on a defined C57BL/6N background.

Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness: Implications for Case Management.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this case study is to provide a specific example of the disease trajectory for one patient's experience with intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW). This case study provides those in case management with an overview of some of the common signs and symptoms of ICUAW, as well as the possible prognosis and recovery from ICUAW. PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTING: The events in this case study take place in the acute care setting including the intensive care unit of a mid-sized health center, a general medical-surgical (med-surg) unit, and a long-term acute care facility. CONCLUSIONS: ICUAW affects the clinical, functional, and financial outcomes of patients. If the patient survives, their quality of life and the quality of life of their family members could be severely impacted. Case management practice has a significant role in coordinating care for those diagnosed with ICUAW. Case managers can use knowledge about ICUAW to improve the patient's transition throughout the hospital stay, improve discharge recommendations, and improve the patient's short-term and long-term outcomes. This may reduce unnecessary utilization of health care resources.