Impact of Prior Healthcare Experience on Self-Reported Confidence and Competency Among Third Year Clinical Nursing Students

There is a long-running debate amongst nurse educators if prior healthcare experience facilitates or encumbers a nursing student’s clinical training and education. Nursing students with prior healthcare experience have often worked as home health aids (HHAs), certified nursing assistants (CNAs), patient care technicians (PCTs), emergency medical technicians (EMTs), electrocardiogram technicians (EKG tech), student nurse associates (SNAs), and paramedics. The psychomotor and cognitive nursing skills utilized in these healthcare positions vary and some overlap with nursing skills. All of these positions interact with other healthcare positions to deliver patient care. Some educators feel that inadequate skills and training may be acquired necessitating additional proper training. Other educators feel that the skills and behaviors gained create a more confident and competent student, thus allowing them to focus on higher didactic concepts. To date, there is no analytical data in the literature illuminating this debate. The aim of this project was to explore if nursing students, who have worked in prior healthcare, are more confident and competent in their nursing school career compared to students with no prior healthcare experience. To properly assess the confidence and competence of nursing students at The University of Rhode Island, College of Nursing, an IRB-approved methodological study was constructed. The study was modeled after the Nurse Professional Competency Scale, a validated and published tool measuring confidence and competence of nursing students prior to graduation based off of the World Health Organization professional competencies. The tool had several sections and collected demographics, prior healthcare experience, self-assessment of skills, and a self-reported grade section. After recruitment of subjects among second semester junior nursing students attending a lecture, the electronic tool was distributed via a secure Survey Monkey link. Out of the 110 students registered for the class, 73 were present in the classroom. Sixty-eight volunteered to participate in the survey and 67 completed the survey. The resultant data was statistically analyzed for covariates by performing ANCOVA in SPSS. Our examination showed that there were no correlations between prior healthcare experience, confidence, and competence among the third year clinical students. Additional studies are needed to properly explore the importance of prior healthcare experience in nursing pedagogy

The anabolic action of intermittent parathyroid hormone on cortical bone depends partly on its ability to induce nitric oxide-mediated vasorelaxation in BALB/c mice

There is strong evidence that vasodilatory nitric oxide (NO) donors have anabolic effects on bone in humans. Parathyroid hormone (PTH), the only osteoanabolic drug currently approved, is also a vasodilator. We investigated whether the NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME might alter the effect of PTH on bone by blocking its vasodilatory effect. BALB/c mice received 28 daily injections of PTH[1-34] (80 µg/kg/day) or L-NAME (30 mg/kg/day), alone or in combination. Hindlimb blood perfusion was measured by laser Doppler imaging. Bone architecture, turnover and mechanical properties in the femur were analysed respectively by micro-CT, histomorphometry and three-point bending. PTH increased hindlimb blood flow by >30% within 10 min of injection (P < 0.001). Co-treatment with L-NAME blocked the action of PTH on blood flow, whereas L-NAME alone had no effect. PTH treatment increased femoral cortical bone volume and formation rate by 20% and 110%, respectively (P < 0.001). PTH had no effect on trabecular bone volume in the femoral metaphysis although trabecular thickness and number were increased and decreased by 25%, respectively. Co-treatment with L-NAME restricted the PTH-stimulated increase in cortical bone formation but had no clear-cut effects in trabecular bone. Co-treatment with L-NAME did not affect the mechanical strength in femurs induced by iPTH. These results suggest that NO-mediated vasorelaxation plays partly a role in the anabolic action of PTH on cortical bone

“We’re Still Here … We’re Not Giving Up”: Black and Latino Men’s Narratives of Transition to Community College

Objective: This study examines masculinity in a manner commensurate with established feminist frameworks to deconstruct a patriarchal system that ill-serves both men and women. Method: We utilized standpoint theory and narrative analysis to examine longitudinal, qualitative data from first-year Black and Latino males as they transition into community college through their second semester. Findings: Positionality is critical to understanding the success of Black and Latino males and their response to institutional structures. In many instances, men leveraged normative constructions of masculinity as aids to their success, and their resilience and confidence were filtered through their perceived development into adults. Conclusion: Implications for practice include the creation of spaces for men to talk about what it means to be a man in college and ways to influence men to make the most of resources when proffered, even if they tend to avoid seeking them out on their own. Further research should seek to understand how men develop and evolve their concepts of masculinity as well as how and to what extent spaces for men actually work to dismantle hegemonic masculinity

“We’re Still Here … We’re Not Giving Up”: Black and Latino Men’s Narratives of Transition to Community College

Objective: This study examines masculinity in a manner commensurate with established feminist frameworks to deconstruct a patriarchal system that ill-serves both men and women. Method: We utilized standpoint theory and narrative analysis to examine longitudinal, qualitative data from first-year Black and Latino males as they transition into community college through their second semester. Findings: Positionality is critical to understanding the success of Black and Latino males and their response to institutional structures. In many instances, men leveraged normative constructions of masculinity as aids to their success, and their resilience and confidence were filtered through their perceived development into adults. Conclusion: Implications for practice include the creation of spaces for men to talk about what it means to be a man in college and ways to influence men to make the most of resources when proffered, even if they tend to avoid seeking them out on their own. Further research should seek to understand how men develop and evolve their concepts of masculinity as well as how and to what extent spaces for men actually work to dismantle hegemonic masculinity

Summer Runoff Generation In Foothill Catchments of The Colorado Front Range

Climatic shifts, disturbances and land-use change have the potential to alter hydrologic flowpaths, water quality and water supply to downstream communities. Identifying the hydrological processes responsible for the transport of water to streams is important for understanding current and future hydrologic regimes, but our knowledge of these processes in foothill ecoregions of mountainous areas is limited. Prior research investigating streamflow generation processes in the Colorado Front Range has largely focused on high-elevation catchments and less is known about how lower elevation catchments in the western US respond to summer storms and how flowpaths sourcing streamflow change seasonally. Using hydrograph separations and concentration-runoff relationships, we inferred flowpaths to streams from April to August 2018 in three small (&lt; 10 km2) foothill catchments, and one larger catchment (63.2 km2) extending from the foothill to the subalpine in the Colorado Front Range. We selected catchments with varying land-use and disturbances, such as historical mining, to investigate the relationship between these characteristics and hydrologic flowpaths. In general, constituent concentrations increased as seasonal runoff decreased in the three foothill catchments, reflecting a transition from shallow subsurface flowpaths to deeper subsurface flowpaths. Elevated SO42- and Cl- concentrations during low flow periods at two of our catchments suggests discharge from historical mines and anthropogenic activities such as the application of road salt during winter, or near-stream septic systems, has altered local stream and groundwater chemistry. During storm events, mine discharge contributions to the larger catchment increased and will likely further degrade water quality with climatic shifts in the future. Streamflow during storm responses in the foothill catchment with impervious surfaces was sourced from faster, surficial flowpaths compared to its more natural neighboring catchment, highlighting the influence of land-use on runoff generation. Results from this study provide a framework for understanding how hydrologic regimes in foothill catchments operate and how they may function in the future with human development, precipitation shifts and disturbances.</p

(Cultural) Taxation Without Representation? How educational Developer Can Broker Discourse on Black Faculty Lives in the #BlackLivesMatter Era

Predominantly White institutions (PWIs) in creative class cities offer contradictory experiences for Black faculty, who engage in invisible additional labor in response to racial aggressions, termed cultural taxation (CT). With an understanding that equity-minded faculty development is an essential space in which to respond to this reality, our study employed a phenomenological focus group design to investigate how Black faculty at a research-intensive PWI located in a creative class city buffeted by racial tensions navigated their service and community experiences. While finding their work meaningful, the participants shared experiences of the multifaceted nature of CT, their stress from teaching about race, and the burdens of providing extra support to the next generation of scholars of color. Participants viewed the campus and community as interconnected and CT as a wage they were willing to pay. At the same time, participants regretted the lack of recognition for this work in the academy. We proffer recommendations for developers and centers for teaching and learning that endeavor to support Black faculty and faculty from other marginalized identities

Identification and Characterization of Novel Perivascular Adventitial Cells in the Whole Mount Mesenteric Branch Artery Using Immunofluorescent Staining and Scanning Confocal Microscopy Imaging

A novel perivascular adventitial cell termed, adventitial neuronal somata (ANNIES) expressing the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) and the vasodilator neuropeptide, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), exists in the adult rat mesenteric branch artery (MBA) in situ. In addition, we have previously shown that ANNIES coexpress CGRP and NCAM. We now show that ANNIES express the neurite growth marker, growth associated protein-43(Gap-43), palladin, and the calcium sensing receptor (CaSR), that senses changes in extracellular Ca(2+) and participates in vasodilator mechanisms. Thus, a previously characterized vasodilator, calcium sensing autocrine/paracrine system, exists in the perivascular adventitia associated with neural-vascular interface. Images of the whole mount MBA segments were analyzed under scanning confocal microscopy. Confocal analysis showed that the Gap-43, CaSR, and palladin were present in ANNIES about 37 ± 4%, 94 ± 6%, and 80 ± 10% respectively, comparable to CGRP (100%). Immunoblots from MBA confirmed the presence of Gap-43 (48 kD), NCAM (120 and 140 kD), and palladin (90–92 and 140 kD). In summary, CGRP, and NCAM-containing neural cells in the perivascular adventitia also express palladin and CaSR, and coexpress Gap-43 which may participate in response to stress/injury and vasodilator mechanisms as part of a perivascular sensory neural network