Toward evidence-based teaching: evaluating the effectiveness of two teaching strategies in an associate degree nursing program

The need for evidence based teaching has become an important ideology for nurse educators who are frequently encouraged to expand their teaching strategies based on recent advances in technology and student learning styles. Traditional lecture is often preferred by students, yet the literature encourages case study methodology for the development of critical thinking. A pilot study was conducted comparing learning outcomes using two different teaching strategies: lecture and case study instruction. Recommendations for using case study as a teaching methodology are offered

Parenting Foster Children with Chronic Illness and Complex Medical Needs

The experience of parenting foster children with chronic illness and complex medical needs was explored in a phenomenological inquiry with 10 foster families. Thirteen participants currently fostering chronically ill children with complex medical needs were interviewed. Recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using van Manen\u27s method. Data analysis yielded five essential themes: Foster parents described being committed to the child in their care, coming to know the needs of a medically complex foster child, and identifying effective and ineffective interventions encountered through day-to-day living with a medically complex child. Furthermore, they shared what it was like to experience loss of a child through relinquishment and death. Last, for these parents, fostering children with complex health care needs was a life-changing experience. The findings show that parenting a chronically ill foster child with complex medical needs is a multifaceted experience having implications for multiple disciplines