Conceptualizations of culture and cultural care among undergraduate nursing students: an exploration and critique of cultural education.

Culture and cultural care have become important concepts in nursing education. However, little is known about what nursing students learn about these complex concepts. The purpose of this study was to explore and critique what nursing students learn about culture and cultural care. First and fourth year students were invited to participate in a focused ethnography to explore how nursing education might shape student knowledge of culture over time. Findings revealed that both groups of students supported the essentialist view of culture. Although students supported the ideals of cultural care, students remained unaware of critical views of culture.

Violence in rural communities: youth speak out!

INTRODUCTION: The current available literature does not present the viewpoints of rural youths regarding the meaning of violence. DESIGN: A mixed method exploratory, descriptive study was conducted to generate information from rural youth about violence. The qualitative phase of the exploratory, descriptive study is reported here. RESULTS: Interviews with fifty-two youth (20 males and 32 females), ranging in age from 11 to 19 years in grades 7-12 in the public school system were conducted in two rural communities. The participants initially defined violence as a physical act with intent to harm, but did not consider weapon carrying as an issue in their communities. They identified alcohol consumption as a trigger for violence and described planned fights that occurred away from school grounds. Physical fights were not limited to the male students. The youth openly stated that violence exists in rural communities and felt isolated from adults with regard to understanding the youths' experiences with violence. CONCLUSION: It is important to generate information about violence directly from rural youth. Programs to reduce violence that include the youth are important to pursue.

Rural youth violence: it is a public health concern!

Youth violence is a significant issue for public health because of the potential for long-term impacts on individuals, families and communities. Limited exposure to violence is seen as a component of healthy living. However, there is limited understanding of violence from a public health perspective within rural communities. Rural refers to those communities with a population less than 10,000 outside the main commuting zone of a large urban area. Population health approaches, including the social determinants of health, are well supported by public health officials. Generating information about rural youth violence from a Canadian perspective would add to our understanding of these social determinants while providing guidance for policy and program development. Current understandings of youth violence are limited to an urban, and oftentimes, American perspective. An ongoing two-phase Canadian study on rural youth violence included qualitative interviews with 52 youth and the completion of a questionnaire that had been developed from the qualitative responses. The questionnaire has been completed by a larger sample of rural youth. The findings generated from this ongoing study will be useful in linking violence with social factors that impact health and thereby guide population health programs and policies. In this way, the role of public health to develop policies and implement programs will be directly influenced by evidence while addressing an ongoing public health concern.

Thinking creatively: from nursing education to practice.

Creative thinking is a critical link in the teaching-learning process, one that enhances problem solving in nursing practice. This article describes a conceptualization of creativity based on focus groups with 12 post-RN students and two nurse educators. Inherent within the major theme, striving for balance, were three subthemes-enhancing self-esteem, working within structure, and making time for reflection (i.e., process). When participants achieved balance, both personally and professionally, they experienced increased creative energy that resulted in creative expression, subsequently displayed in educational endeavors and clinical practice (i.e., product). Strategies for fostering creativity and criteria for evaluating creativity are offered, and implications for nurse educators, managers, and practitioners are examined.

A collegial mentoring model for nurse educators.

TOPIC: A mentoring model for nurse educators. PURPOSE: To describe the current literature on mentoring in nursing and education and present the Collegial Mentoring Model. SOURCES: Published literature and personal and professional experiences of nurse educators in academia. CONCLUSIONS: Commitment to the collegial mentoring relationship can be demonstrated by making time for togetherness so outcomes beneficial to both individuals can be achieved.

Post-death encounters: grieving, mourning, and healing.

Historical accounts and previous research have shown that bereaved individuals often report seeing, hearing, or feeling the presence of the deceased. We examined such encounters in the context of the grieving, mourning, and healing processes. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 individuals who reported a post-death encounter following the death of a loved one. Phenomenological analysis showed that participants went through an interpretive process in which they attempted to make sense of their experiences. The encounters profoundly affected the participants' beliefs in an afterlife and attitudes toward life and death, and had a significant impact on their grief. Finally, post-death encounters had a healing effect on the participants by contributing to a sense of connectedness with the deceased. We conclude that health care professionals and counselors should be educated about post-death encounters so that the bereaved can share their experiences in a supportive and understanding atmosphere.

Turning vision into reality: successful integration of primary healthcare in taber, Canada.

Primary healthcare offers significant benefits to Canadians and to the healthcare system as a whole. The Taber Integrated Primary Healthcare Project (TIPHP) was a three-year primary healthcare renewal initiative involving rural physicians and the Chinook Health Region in Taber, Alberta, Canada. The goal of the project was to improve healthcare services delivery through integration of the services provided by the physician group and the health region in one rural community. Four main enablers emerged as fundamental to the integration process: community assessment and shared planning; evidence-based, interdisciplinary care; an integrated electronic information system; and investment in processes and structures that support change.The outcome of the project has been the implementation of a new model of healthcare delivery that embraces an integrated collaborative team approach in delivering population-based, primary healthcare. Importantly, the TIPHP has influenced regional healthcare policy related to primary healthcare renewal strategies and partnerships.