Perception Of Cultural Competence in Nurse Practitioners

Purpose: Nurse practitioners are at the forefront in providing quality care to diverse populations and must become cognizant of the importance of cultural competence in caring for diverse patients. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of cultural competence and its integration in the delivery of health care in nurse practitioners practicing in a Mexican-American region of South Texas. Methodology: A descriptive, qualitative design using grounded theory and purposive sampling was utilized for this study. Sixteen nurse practitioners, fourteen females and two males, participated in the study. Qualitative data collection was elicited through individual interviews and a focus group. The selected participants included nurse practitioners who were employed for at least eight hours per week in a primary or acute care setting. The study included a demographic questionnaire and a nine-item interview guide created by the researchers to elicit thoughtful reflection on the participants’ perceptions of cultural competence and how cultural competence is integrated in their practice. Main findings: Data analysis involved grouping of response similarities until no new categories emerged. Affinity among the categories resulted in linkage into four distinct core categories or emerging themes. These themes provided a summary of what the nurse practitioners working with a Mexican-American population perceived as cultural competence and its integration in the delivery of health care. The four emerging themes include: 1) Culture as multifaceted; 2) Communication as empowerment; 3) Cultural dissonance; 4) Influence of myths, traditions, and complementary modalities. Principle conclusions: The study findings highlight the importance of advanced practice nurses’ efforts to continue to learn and increase their knowledge base and sensitivities to the culture of their clients in all dimensions of health care. The findings also support previous research and strengthen the understanding of the importance of cultural competency in the delivery of care to minority populations

Perceived stress in occupational therapy students

The purpose of this study was to examine perceived stress of entry‐level master\u27s occupational therapy (OT) students enrolled at a Texas university. A total of 29 students including nine men and 20 women participated in the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The participants were interviewed during the end of the first and second year of the entry‐level master\u27s programme in OT. Questionnaires, given at the same time, contained demographic data, open‐end questions and force choice questions rated on a Likert scale. The results indicated that the majority of students (66.4%) rated their current level of stress as above average or the highest in their lives. The students expressed feelings of being overwhelmed, confused regarding course expectations and wanted more hands‐on experience. When responding to how they managed stress, more than half of the students in the study took an active approach by utilizing exercise. Limitations of the study include using a non‐standardized questionnaire, a small number of participants, and that the participants did not represent diversity and were for the most part Hispanic. It is recommended that future research address the cultural and generational issues that may affect perceptions of stress and how students cope with stress

What is the impact of shift work on the psychological functioning and resilience of nurses? An integrative review

Aim: To synthesize existing research to determine if nurses who work shifts have poorer psychological functioning and resilience than nurses who do not work shifts. Background: Research exploring the impact of shift work on the psychological functioning and resilience of nurses is limited compared with research investigating the impact of shifts on physical outcomes. Design: Integrative literature review. Data Sources: Relevant databases were searched from January 1995-August 2016 using the combination of keywords: nurse, shift work; rotating roster; night shift; resilient; hardiness; coping; well-being; burnout; mental health; occupational stress; compassion fatigue; compassion satisfaction; stress; anxiety; depression. Review Methods: Two authors independently performed the integrative review processes proposed by Whittemore and Knafl and a quality assessment using the mixed-methods appraisal tool by Pluye et al. Results: A total of 37 articles were included in the review (32 quantitative, 4 qualitative and 1 mixed-methods). Approximately half of the studies directly compared nurse shift workers with non-shift workers. Findings were grouped according to the following main outcomes: (1) general psychological well-being/quality of life; (2) Job satisfaction/burnout; (3) Depression, anxiety and stress; and (4) Resilience/coping. We did not find definitive evidence that shift work is associated with poorer psychological functioning in nurses. Overall, the findings suggest that the impact of shift work on nurse psychological functioning is dependent on several contextual and individual factors. Conclusion: More studies are required which directly compare the psychological outcomes and resilience of nurse shift workers with non-shift workers

Small business management training Some points on programme design and classification

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:3630.934815(DUBS-OP--9240) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo