Cultural competency of graduating BSN nursing students.

Providing culturally appropriate care is an essential nursing competency for new graduates. Multiple curricular approaches are being used to achieve this end. When measured by Campinha-Bacote's Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competency Among Healthcare Professionals-R, graduating students (n = 515) from six different BSN programs scored, on average, in the culturally aware range. These results suggest that no one curricular approach is proving to be more effective than another in achieving essential cultural competency.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Skills Learning: A Phenomenological Study.

BACKGROUND: Deliberate practice (DP) and cognitive load theory have renewed educators' interest in effective psychomotor skills teaching. PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to explore how prelicensure nursing students learned psychomotor skills. METHODS: Nine senior nursing students participated in this phenomenological study to capture how they experienced learning nursing skills. Colaizzi's method was used to analyze in-depth interviews of open-ended questions. RESULTS: Six themes emerged: (a) the umbrella of emotion, (b) practice, (c) learning through technology, (d) fidelity affects learning, (e) teaching matters, and (f) importance of peers. Students found creative ways to learn nursing skills. Research findings contributed to a greater understanding of student experiences in gaining competency in nursing skills. CONCLUSIONS: Participants used aspects of DP, cognitive load theory, and technology to learn skills. These findings provide current information to nurse educators about skills learning and recommendations for effective skills teaching.

Preparing for the 21st century: graduate nursing education in Vietnam.

Friendship Bridge Nurses and Vietnamese nurses developed a partnership based on the concepts of collaboration, sustainability, critical mass, and shared vision. This article explores the process of development and issues of implementation of a graduate nursing education program in Vietnam.

Disaster readiness for nurses in the workplace: preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges citizens everywhere to prepare for any emergency that might occur in their areas. In conjunction with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the CDC has designed a four-step plan ("Ready America") to assist all Americans in taking action. As the largest body of health care providers, nurses across the nation have the potential to contribute substantially to disaster readiness in the workplace and the community. This article reviews lessons learned from previous disasters and also presents an overview of ethical-legal considerations related to disaster nursing care. In addition, a preparation guide for nurses in the workplace and on the home front is presented. Disaster preparation resources are also provided.

Culturally competent care for Latino elders in long-term care settings.

The decision to place a family member in a long-term care (LTC) facility results in a variety of experiences for families. The experience of Latino families can be particularly problematic for the different relatives involved in the process. Placing a loved one in an LTC facility goes against cultural norms for Hispanic families that can lead to problems for both the family and the facility staff. Information about the cultural norms that are violated along with ways that the care providers and administrative staff can make adjustments in the environment to assist these residents will improve outcomes and meet the needs of diverse health care consumers.