Critical thinking of nursing students, graduate nurses and expert nurses in simulated clinical situations

Critical thinking is a thought process used by nurses for clinical decision making. This descriptive correlational study focused on the relationships among critical thinking, decision making and clinical nursing expertise during a clinical simulation. A mid-range theory was developed from the work of Benner (1984) and Paul (1992). As persons develop clinical expertise from novice to expert level, through acquisition of knowledge and experience, critical thinking is developed and used for clinical decision making. A convenience sample of 149 nursing students, graduate nurses, and expert nurses was selected from nursing programs and health care agencies in the Midwest. Critical thinking was measured with the Elements of Thought Instrument (ETI) and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). A decision score was calculated from the ETI. Findings indicated that composite critical thinking and decision making increased as the level of clinical expertise increased. ANOVA revealed differences in ETI scores (F [2,146] = 13.98, p \u3c .0001) and decision scores (F [2,146] = 25.96, p \u3c .0001) among students, graduates and expert nurses; experts had the highest composite critical thinking and decision making scores consistent with the mid-range Theory of Critical Thinking of Nurses. There was a significant although weak, correlation between the ETI and CCTDI (r = .14, p =.04) indicating that the two instruments likely measured different aspects of critical thinking. Several demographics were related to critical thinking process and decision making including the number of college credits taken, number of years of clinical nursing practice, years of experience in a clinical area, and GPA. As experience and knowledge increased, so did composite critical thinking and decision making. The model was tested with path analysis and the paths of experience to decision making and knowledge to decision making accounted for 85% of the variance. While critical thinking should be taught in nursing programs, high levels of critical thinking and decision making may not be achieved until the student gains knowledge and experience in nursing

Cheryl L. Martin, interviewed by Kim Sealy, Part 2

Cheryl L. Martin, interviewed by Kim Sealy, November 15, 2001, Brewer, Maine. Martin talks about personal and parent’s educational background; decision to join Air Force instead of go to college; military history; “MAINEiacs”; federal versus state military service; time in basic training; benefits; logistics and shipping duties; year off with Fortune 500 company; CCAF; time as boom operator (air refueling); time in Kosovo; war effect on family; Shaw Air Force Base; rank and gender issues; air versus ground combat; experience in “gender free” military culture; officer versus enlisted rankings. Text: 44 pp. transcript. Time: 01:19:43. Listen: Part 1: mfc_na3235_c2342_01 Part 2: mfc_na3235_c2342_02https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mf144/1056/thumbnail.jp

Cheryl L. Martin, interviewed by Kim Sealy, Part 1

Cheryl L. Martin, interviewed by Kim Sealy, November 15, 2001, Brewer, Maine. Martin talks about personal and parent’s educational background; decision to join Air Force instead of go to college; military history; “MAINEiacs”; federal versus state military service; time in basic training; benefits; logistics and shipping duties; year off with Fortune 500 company; CCAF; time as boom operator (air refueling); time in Kosovo; war effect on family; Shaw Air Force Base; rank and gender issues; air versus ground combat; experience in “gender free” military culture; officer versus enlisted rankings. Text: 44 pp. transcript. Time: 01:19:43. Listen: Part 1: mfc_na3235_c2342_01Part 2: mfc_na3235_c2342_02https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mf144/1055/thumbnail.jp

Arithmetic results on orbits of linear groups

Let $p$ be a prime and $G$ a subgroup of $GL_d(p)$. We define $G$ to be $p$-exceptional if it has order divisible by $p$, but all its orbits on vectors have size coprime to $p$. We obtain a classification of $p$-exceptional linear groups. This has consequences for a well known conjecture in representation theory, and also for a longstanding question concerning 1/2-transitive linear groups (i.e. those having all orbits on nonzero vectors of equal length), classifying those of order divisible by $p$.Comment: slight revisions after referee's comment

Throw Out Those Paper Bookplates! The Digital Bookplate Program at The University of Western Ontario

Western Libraries (The University of Western Ontario) has recently developed a digital bookplate program. We create a digital bookplate in Fireworks (a graphics design program) using a set of standard templates. Then we link a web page with information about the bookplate to a search, which displays all of the material purchased for that donation in the catalogue. The donor is provided with the web-link and can view the bookplate and the catalogue records for the material that was purchased or donated

The 18 Household Food Security Survey items provide valid food security classifications for adults and children in the Caribbean

BACKGROUND: We tested the properties of the 18 Household Food Security Survey (HFSS) items, and the validity of the resulting food security classifications, in an English-speaking middle-income country. METHODS: Survey of primary school children in Trinidad and Tobago. Parents completed the HFSS. Responses were analysed for the 10 adult-referenced items and the eight child-referenced items. Item response theory models were fitted. Item calibrations and subject scores from a one-parameter logistic (1PL) model were compared with those from either two-parameter logistic model (2PL) or a model for differential item functioning (DIF) by ethnicity. RESULTS: There were 5219 eligible with 3858 (74%) completing at least one food security item. Adult item calibrations (standard error) in the 1PL model ranged from -4.082 (0.019) for the 'worried food would run out' item to 3.023 (0.042) for 'adults often do not eat for a whole day'. Child item calibrations ranged from -3.715 (0.025) for 'relied on a few kinds of low cost food' to 3.088 (0.039) for 'child didn't eat for a whole day'. Fitting either a 2PL model, which allowed discrimination parameters to vary between items, or a differential item functioning model, which allowed item calibrations to vary between ethnic groups, had little influence on interpretation. The classification based on the adult-referenced items showed that there were 19% of respondents who were food insecure without hunger, 10% food insecure with moderate hunger and 6% food insecure with severe hunger. The classification based on the child-referenced items showed that there were 23% of children who were food insecure without hunger and 9% food insecure with hunger. In both children and adults food insecurity showed a strong, graded association with lower monthly household income (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These results support the use of 18 HFSS items to classify food security status of adults or children in an English-speaking country where food insecurity and hunger are more frequent overall than in the US