The SPN Pediatric Nursing Excellence Model: Differentiating pediatrics.

The question of what makes an "excellent" pediatric nurse has been asked frequently by both pediatric and non-pediatric nurses for many years. Longevity in the practice setting, increased formal education in the care of children and families, positive satisfaction surveys post encounter, quantity of professional presentations and publications, and specialty certification are often listed when discussing pediatric nursing excellence. However, pediatric nursing excellence (PNE) is not well defined. Current recognition mechanisms such as clinical ladders, Magnet© and Pathways© programs, and Benner's stages of clinical competence are not specific for pediatric nursing practice. Once the characteristics of pediatric nursing excellence are determined, they can be used as the basis for identifying pediatric-specific quality indicators. In 2020, SPN initiated a project to define the construct of "pediatric nursing excellence". Two years later, SPN published its Pediatric Nursing Excellence Model, consisting of a visual depiction accompanied by definitions of 16 concepts that comprise the PNE Model. This article presents the five stages of the development process, the components of a model of pediatric nursing excellence, and the potential uses of such a model.

When the Nursing Student Also Wears Cleats: Successful Nursing Student Athletes.

Being a nursing student athlete carries both rewards and challenges. There is a dearth of nursing literature addressing the subset of nursing student athletes. This article offers the characteristics of successful nursing student athletes; the challenges they encounter; the advantages of having student athletes in the nursing student body; and the student-centered, program-centered, and institution-centered strategies that need to be in place for their success.

Charting the course of pediatric nursing research: the SPN Delphi study.

In order to inform the care of children at this pivotal time in the history of healthcare, the Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) sought to identify priorities for nursing research and key challenges facing pediatric nursing. A three round Delphi study was conducted electronically with SPN members. The top 10 priorities and challenges were identified and will serve as a valuable guide for pediatric nursing practice, education, policy and administration over the coming decade.

Created Environment: Evolution of a Neuman Systems Model Concept.

In this essay, we trace the evolution of the definition of the Neuman systems model concept of created environment from its inception in 1989. The created environment is one of three categories of environment in the Neuman systems model; the other two are the internal environment and the external environment. The most recent definition of created environment is offered in this essay as the following: The created environment is a synthesis of the internal and external environments that encompasses the client system's ever-changing awareness of the physiological, psychological, sociocultural, developmental, and spiritual variables, and the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal stressors as beneficial or noxious. As a protective shield, the created environment represents the client system's perceptions and understanding of what is real and what is safe, as discussed with the nurse.

Caring for Critically Ill Children Experiencing Traumatic Stress.

TOPIC/CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Traumatic stress occurs in children when their coping mechanisms are overwhelmed by exposure to traumatic events or situations. Estimates indicate that as many as 80% of ill and injured children experience traumatic stress after such exposure. Critically ill or injured children are especially at risk for the development of traumatic stress, including acute stress reaction and posttraumatic stress disorder. OBJECTIVE: To explore the phenomenon of traumatic stress disorders in critically ill or injured children to assist bedside nurses in decreasing the severity of short- and long-term consequences in this patient population. CONTENT COVERED: This article presents types of traumatic stress, risk factors for the development of traumatic stress, clinical findings in children and adolescents, and nursing strategies for preventing and managing traumatic stress in pediatric patients. Critical care and acute care nurses are in an excellent position to assess children for symptoms of acute stress reaction and posttraumatic stress disorder during or after a stay in the intensive care unit, to implement strategies to prevent or ease the symptoms of acute stress reaction and posttraumatic stress disorder, and to make appropriate referrals for children and their families after exposure to traumatic stressors.

Trauma-Informed Care: Pediatric Intensive Care Nurses at the Root of Children's Safety and Trust.

Any experience that a child perceives as threatening or detrimental and has long-term consequences for the child's holistic health and welfare qualifies as trauma. Whether an experience is traumatic depends on the 3 E's of trauma: the event, the experience of the event, and the effects. Traumatic events can affect an infant's or child's development and have lifelong repercussions. Because of the prevalence of pediatric trauma, trauma-informed care has become the standard of care. Nurses are perfectly positioned to lead trauma-informed care in the pediatric intensive care unit. This article explores the components of trauma-informed care and the application of this standard of care to children in the pediatric intensive care unit. The nurse providing trauma-informed care understands the impact of trauma on the child, the family, and the staff and responds by integrating knowledge about trauma into care, both individually and systemwide, seeking to actively avoid retraumatization. This article presents the 6 principles of trauma-informed care and 3 case examples illustrating the application of these principles in the pediatric intensive care unit. Additional resources are provided to equip critical care nurses to fully implement this standard of care for critically ill children.

KATTS: a framework for maximizing NCLEX-RN performance.

A key indicator of the quality of a nursing education program is the performance of its graduates as first-time takers of the NCLEX-RN. As a result, nursing schools are open to strategies that strengthen the performance of their graduates on the examination. The Knowledge base, Anxiety control, Test-Taking Skills (KATTS) framework focuses on the three components of achieving a maximum score on an examination. In KATTS, all three components must be present and in proper balance to maximize a test taker's score. By strengthening not just one but all of these components, graduates can improve their overall test scores significantly. Suggested strategies for strengthening each component of KATTS are provided. This framework has been used successfully in designing remedial tutoring programs and in assisting first-time NCLEX test takers in preparing for the licensing examination.