Development of the Simulation-Positive Learning Evaluation (SIM-PLE) rubric for use in medical-surgical nursing high fidelity simulations.

Clinical nurse educators in a BSN program developed the SIM-PLE (Simulation-Positive Learning Evaluation) rubric to evaluate student performance in simulation. A pilot study was conducted over two semesters with junior level medical-surgical classes made up of approximately 110-130 students each semester, and the tool was revised and re-evaluated. Inter-rater reliability testing utilized 69 SIM-PLE rubric student evaluations (N = 69). Inter-rater reliability was assessed with comparison of lead faculty with three other instructors utilizing two raters for each simulation experience. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) suggested high inter-rater reliability. The t-test difference was not significant. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant difference in the Collaboration subcategory score. Univariate ANOVA indicated both raters scored consistently with each other overall and that they both scored JR1 differently than JR2. The pilot study and testing of interrater reliability of the rubric revealed positive findings. The role of the rubric in providing formative feedback during debrief sessions empowered students to analyze their own performance and/or experience to self-correct or improve their future practice based on these experiences.

A theoretical evaluation of a youth mental health court program model.

Mental health courts are a promising new approach to addressing the overrepresentation of mental health needs among offender populations, yet little is known about how they facilitate change, particularly for youth. The current study reports on a process evaluation of a youth mental health court in Toronto, Canada. Drawing upon observations of the court and interviews with key informants, we developed a program model of the court and explored its implementation within the context of empirical evidence for treating justice-involved youth. Findings revealed that the proposed mechanism of change, which focuses on reducing recidivism through the treatment of mental health needs, should also consider factors directly related to offending behavior. Findings further highlight several strengths of the program, including the program's supportive environment and ability to engage and link youth and families with treatment. Areas for continued growth include the need for comprehensive protections of legal rights.

Setting Adolescents Up for Success: Promoting a Policy to Delay High School Start Times.

BACKGROUND: A unique biological shift in sleep cycles occurs during adolescence causing later sleep and wake times. This shift is not matched by a concurrent modification in school start times, resulting in sleep curtailment for a large majority of adolescents. Chronic inadequate sleep is associated with poor academic performance including executive function impairments, mood, and behavioral issues, as well as adverse health outcomes such as an increased risk of obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. In order to address sleep deficits and the potential negative outcomes associated with chronic sleep deprivation, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) support delaying school start times for middle and high school students. METHODS: We summarize current evidence, explicate the need for policy change, and urge school districts to put adolescent students' health as top priority and implement school start times consistent with their developmental needs. RESULTS: Whereas substantial evidence illustrating adverse consequences of inadequate sleep on psychological and physical health, and recommendations exist to adapt daytime school schedules to match sleep needs have been released, actual implementation of these recommendations have been limited. CONCLUSIONS: This is a call to action for the implementation of AAP/CDC recommendations across the state and nation.

Cognitive aspects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Nearly four decades have passed since a link was first established between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and a particular pattern of birth defects. Since then, autopsy, longitudinal, structural imaging, and functional imaging studies have revealed a great deal about the teratogenic effects of alcohol. This paper provides a comprehensive summary of the findings from the neurocognitive and behavioral literature on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and outlines the unique profile of cognitive deficits associated with it. We describe diagnostic issues as well as factors contributing to the heterogeneity of the FASD cognitive presentation. Next, we review research on the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on intellectual functioning, attention, executive functioning, learning and memory, language, quantitative reasoning, and social cognition. In our opinion, future research can now begin to focus on FASD-specific interventions directly informed by the rich body of neurocognitive findings accumulated thus far. WIREs Cogn Sci 2013, 4:81-92. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1202 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.