Protocol describing a planned scoping review of the literature on the Afro-Caribbean immigrant ca... more Protocol describing a planned scoping review of the literature on the Afro-Caribbean immigrant cancer survivor experience in the United States.
From diagnosis to palliation, oncology services are being challenged at every point along the con... more From diagnosis to palliation, oncology services are being challenged at every point along the continuum of care. Although managed care has led to some positive changes, such as supporting standardization of oncology care, promoting development and use of guidelines, and, in some cases, reducing costs, the reality is that in some areas of care, quality has been diminished within a tightly managed environment. Perhaps the most detrimental cost of managed care, however, is an environment that promotes less than optimal nursing care. Current nursing shortages have contributed to the loss of nursing’s presence, and that void, coupled with shrinking fiscal reserves, has added to the potential loss of continuity of care for patients with cancer (Mooney, 2001). According to Jassak (2001), evidencebased practice is an approach to clinical decision making that can improve patient care and outcomes, thus ensuring nurses’ leadership roles on healthcare teams. Evidence-based practice has created...
Using clinical pathways in nursing respiratory function cardiovascular function metabolic functio... more Using clinical pathways in nursing respiratory function cardiovascular function metabolic function immune function urinary function musculoskeletal function neurologic function gastrointestinal function integumentary function.
Simulation is recognized as an opportunity to immerse students in scenarios that provide most asp... more Simulation is recognized as an opportunity to immerse students in scenarios that provide most aspects of real-life medical emergencies in a “no-consequences” learning environment. It is widely accepted that simulation has few, if any, negative effects on participants. This case report describes a situation in which real-life implications infiltrated the “safe” simulated learning environment designed by faculty. It is the responsibility of faculty and administrators to be aware that strong feelings and emotions can be triggered by simulators or by immersion in a simulated patient care environment and to take precautions to minimize their occurrence.
Previous researchers have found high mortality and incidence rates for pancreatic cancer in the A... more Previous researchers have found high mortality and incidence rates for pancreatic cancer in the Acadiana region of southern Louisiana. While lifestyle practices such as pork and alcohol consumption and a familial trend have been linked to pancreatic cancer, cigarette smoking is the only established risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Therefore, a retrospective, descriptive study was conducted to explore lifestyle risk factors and the familial trend in pancreatic cancer. The Familial Pancreatic Cancer Questionnaire (FPCQ) was used to collect data on demographics, tobacco and alcohol use, dietary history, and medical history. A surrogate respondent (family member) for 31 pancreatic cancer subjects completed the FPCQ. Race and gender specific incidence rates (IR) for pancreatic cancer in Acadiana were calculated. Results showed that mean IRs for pancreatic cancer for Caucasian and African-American males and females were higher than national SEER rates. Pancreatic cancer and lung cancer were the most frequently reported cancers among subjects' first degree relatives. The majority (65%) of the subjects smoked. A positive family history for pancreatic cancer was found in this study with five (16%) of the pancreatic cancer subjects having one or more first degree relatives with pancreatic cancer. This percent is twice that found by previous researchers.
Growing increases in current and projected cancer survivors demands a workforce that can safely m... more Growing increases in current and projected cancer survivors demands a workforce that can safely meet their health care needs spanning a lifetime. The literature lacks sufficient evidence regarding the knowledge needed by non-oncology nurses who care for cancer survivors in settings not designated for cancer care. This study identified this oncology knowledge and perceived barriers. The Cancer Nursing Curriculum Survey was completed by a national pool of 302 oncology and 313 medical-surgical nurses who rated the depth and importance of 33 cancer concepts needed by non-oncology nurses for cancer survivor care. Concept means for depth and importance were similar between both groups, with importance rated higher. Major concepts focused on symptom management. Barriers included lack of time, knowledge, and access to resources. The findings indicate the understanding of knowledge needed by non-oncology nurses for survivor care and provide a first step to design continuing education to addr...
To expand nursing programs to better meet workforce demands, nursing education must offer nontrad... more To expand nursing programs to better meet workforce demands, nursing education must offer nontraditional students more educational opportunities that are flexible, streamlined, and low cost. Accelerated programs, particularly programs tailored to attract individuals with degrees in other fields and looking for career changes, are great examples. The cost factors related to a successful accelerated degree program designed for non-nursing college graduates are described. Based on the experiences with a previously implemented accelerated BSN program offered from 1987-1994 at one university, a revised accelerated option model was developed that included ongoing involvement with four community hospitals, shared budget responsibilities, student stipends, and a 3-year work commitment by graduates at a sponsoring hospital. The investment of approximately $1.6 million over 7 years resulted in the education and graduation of 75 new registered nursing professionals to meet the health care need...
Nursing education's challenge in the new millennium is to prepare all nurses as scholars. Wit... more Nursing education's challenge in the new millennium is to prepare all nurses as scholars. With many nurse educators feeling like impostors when it comes to scholarship, this is no small task. Turning the millenial challenge into an opportunity, this article describes how a collaborative faculty development initiative is turning a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence school's "scholar-impostors" into teacher-scholars. This Teacher-Scholar Project will interest those in teaching intensive schools of nursing or in teaching tracks in research-intensive institutions.
The current and projected increase in newly diagnosed cancer patients and survivors supports the ... more The current and projected increase in newly diagnosed cancer patients and survivors supports the nation's need to prepare a nursing workforce that is skilled to meet the health care needs of these individuals. It is likely that cancer patients, especially survivors, will receive care from nurses without specialized oncology education who work in various nononcology clinical settings. Because of the lacking practice standards and educational guidelines for nurses who care for cancer survivors in nononcology settings, this article describes findings of a national survey that identified the importance and depth of cancer-care content included in accredited prelicensure registered nurse programs (diploma, associate and baccalaureate degrees). Findings revealed that a gap exists between respondents' reported importance and depth of cancer-care content currently taught and that importance rated consistently higher than depth taught. Lack of time was the most frequently cited barrier. Results will be used to design generalist oncology resources for nurse educators.
Journal for Nurses in Staff Development (JNSD), 2006
ABSTRACT Assessment of continuing competence of staff is a challenge for many healthcare organiza... more ABSTRACT Assessment of continuing competence of staff is a challenge for many healthcare organizations. There is no clear consensus as to what constitutes continuing competence or how to measure that competence. Methods for assessing continued competence of nurses are varied. A novel method, simulation and virtual reality technology, was used to assess the competency of nurses employed in long-term acute care hospitals in Louisiana. This article will describe the project which was the result of a collaborative effort between a large healthcare organization and a school of nursing.
Protocol describing a planned scoping review of the literature on the Afro-Caribbean immigrant ca... more Protocol describing a planned scoping review of the literature on the Afro-Caribbean immigrant cancer survivor experience in the United States.
From diagnosis to palliation, oncology services are being challenged at every point along the con... more From diagnosis to palliation, oncology services are being challenged at every point along the continuum of care. Although managed care has led to some positive changes, such as supporting standardization of oncology care, promoting development and use of guidelines, and, in some cases, reducing costs, the reality is that in some areas of care, quality has been diminished within a tightly managed environment. Perhaps the most detrimental cost of managed care, however, is an environment that promotes less than optimal nursing care. Current nursing shortages have contributed to the loss of nursing’s presence, and that void, coupled with shrinking fiscal reserves, has added to the potential loss of continuity of care for patients with cancer (Mooney, 2001). According to Jassak (2001), evidencebased practice is an approach to clinical decision making that can improve patient care and outcomes, thus ensuring nurses’ leadership roles on healthcare teams. Evidence-based practice has created...
Using clinical pathways in nursing respiratory function cardiovascular function metabolic functio... more Using clinical pathways in nursing respiratory function cardiovascular function metabolic function immune function urinary function musculoskeletal function neurologic function gastrointestinal function integumentary function.
Simulation is recognized as an opportunity to immerse students in scenarios that provide most asp... more Simulation is recognized as an opportunity to immerse students in scenarios that provide most aspects of real-life medical emergencies in a “no-consequences” learning environment. It is widely accepted that simulation has few, if any, negative effects on participants. This case report describes a situation in which real-life implications infiltrated the “safe” simulated learning environment designed by faculty. It is the responsibility of faculty and administrators to be aware that strong feelings and emotions can be triggered by simulators or by immersion in a simulated patient care environment and to take precautions to minimize their occurrence.
Previous researchers have found high mortality and incidence rates for pancreatic cancer in the A... more Previous researchers have found high mortality and incidence rates for pancreatic cancer in the Acadiana region of southern Louisiana. While lifestyle practices such as pork and alcohol consumption and a familial trend have been linked to pancreatic cancer, cigarette smoking is the only established risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Therefore, a retrospective, descriptive study was conducted to explore lifestyle risk factors and the familial trend in pancreatic cancer. The Familial Pancreatic Cancer Questionnaire (FPCQ) was used to collect data on demographics, tobacco and alcohol use, dietary history, and medical history. A surrogate respondent (family member) for 31 pancreatic cancer subjects completed the FPCQ. Race and gender specific incidence rates (IR) for pancreatic cancer in Acadiana were calculated. Results showed that mean IRs for pancreatic cancer for Caucasian and African-American males and females were higher than national SEER rates. Pancreatic cancer and lung cancer were the most frequently reported cancers among subjects' first degree relatives. The majority (65%) of the subjects smoked. A positive family history for pancreatic cancer was found in this study with five (16%) of the pancreatic cancer subjects having one or more first degree relatives with pancreatic cancer. This percent is twice that found by previous researchers.
Growing increases in current and projected cancer survivors demands a workforce that can safely m... more Growing increases in current and projected cancer survivors demands a workforce that can safely meet their health care needs spanning a lifetime. The literature lacks sufficient evidence regarding the knowledge needed by non-oncology nurses who care for cancer survivors in settings not designated for cancer care. This study identified this oncology knowledge and perceived barriers. The Cancer Nursing Curriculum Survey was completed by a national pool of 302 oncology and 313 medical-surgical nurses who rated the depth and importance of 33 cancer concepts needed by non-oncology nurses for cancer survivor care. Concept means for depth and importance were similar between both groups, with importance rated higher. Major concepts focused on symptom management. Barriers included lack of time, knowledge, and access to resources. The findings indicate the understanding of knowledge needed by non-oncology nurses for survivor care and provide a first step to design continuing education to addr...
To expand nursing programs to better meet workforce demands, nursing education must offer nontrad... more To expand nursing programs to better meet workforce demands, nursing education must offer nontraditional students more educational opportunities that are flexible, streamlined, and low cost. Accelerated programs, particularly programs tailored to attract individuals with degrees in other fields and looking for career changes, are great examples. The cost factors related to a successful accelerated degree program designed for non-nursing college graduates are described. Based on the experiences with a previously implemented accelerated BSN program offered from 1987-1994 at one university, a revised accelerated option model was developed that included ongoing involvement with four community hospitals, shared budget responsibilities, student stipends, and a 3-year work commitment by graduates at a sponsoring hospital. The investment of approximately $1.6 million over 7 years resulted in the education and graduation of 75 new registered nursing professionals to meet the health care need...
Nursing education's challenge in the new millennium is to prepare all nurses as scholars. Wit... more Nursing education's challenge in the new millennium is to prepare all nurses as scholars. With many nurse educators feeling like impostors when it comes to scholarship, this is no small task. Turning the millenial challenge into an opportunity, this article describes how a collaborative faculty development initiative is turning a National League for Nursing Center of Excellence school's "scholar-impostors" into teacher-scholars. This Teacher-Scholar Project will interest those in teaching intensive schools of nursing or in teaching tracks in research-intensive institutions.
The current and projected increase in newly diagnosed cancer patients and survivors supports the ... more The current and projected increase in newly diagnosed cancer patients and survivors supports the nation's need to prepare a nursing workforce that is skilled to meet the health care needs of these individuals. It is likely that cancer patients, especially survivors, will receive care from nurses without specialized oncology education who work in various nononcology clinical settings. Because of the lacking practice standards and educational guidelines for nurses who care for cancer survivors in nononcology settings, this article describes findings of a national survey that identified the importance and depth of cancer-care content included in accredited prelicensure registered nurse programs (diploma, associate and baccalaureate degrees). Findings revealed that a gap exists between respondents' reported importance and depth of cancer-care content currently taught and that importance rated consistently higher than depth taught. Lack of time was the most frequently cited barrier. Results will be used to design generalist oncology resources for nurse educators.
Journal for Nurses in Staff Development (JNSD), 2006
ABSTRACT Assessment of continuing competence of staff is a challenge for many healthcare organiza... more ABSTRACT Assessment of continuing competence of staff is a challenge for many healthcare organizations. There is no clear consensus as to what constitutes continuing competence or how to measure that competence. Methods for assessing continued competence of nurses are varied. A novel method, simulation and virtual reality technology, was used to assess the competency of nurses employed in long-term acute care hospitals in Louisiana. This article will describe the project which was the result of a collaborative effort between a large healthcare organization and a school of nursing.
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