Nurse Educators Fostering Critical Thinking in First-Year Students in an Associate Degree Nursing Program

Nurse educators are required to prepare students with the CT skills to solve complex problems, make sound clinical judgments, and decisions in nursing practice. This study explored the strategies used by nurse educators to foster critical thinking in nursing education for first-year nursing students in a community college. The research questions of this study were aligned with Bloom’s revised taxonomy, based on the work of Anderson et al. (2001) and Krathwohl (2002), who focused on the learner’s cognitive processes that transfer knowledge to a higher level of thinking. The selected method was a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological design. The themes that emerged from the nurse educators’ responses related to the students’ ability to gather information, assimilate information, and apply it to the patient’s situation to problem-solve for solutions. All the nurse educators agreed that the habits of mind (HOM) and critical thinking were important concepts needed for problem-solving. The HOM—confidence, flexibility, intuition, and reflection—were stated as most important and inquisitiveness, perseverance, and open-mindedness were least important. Debriefing clinical experiences, the use of guided questions, small group discussions, case studies, and the knowledge of concepts were the strategies most commonly used in the classroom, skills lab, and clinical. Further, in the skills lab, hands-on demonstration of skills was used to foster critical thinking

Nurse Educators Fostering Critical Thinking in First-Year Students in an Associate Degree Nursing Program

Nurse educators are required to prepare students with the CT skills to solve complex problems, make sound clinical judgments, and decisions in nursing practice. This study explored the strategies used by nurse educators to foster critical thinking in nursing education for first-year nursing students in a community college. The research questions of this study were aligned with Bloom’s revised taxonomy, based on the work of Anderson et al. (2001) and Krathwohl (2002), who focused on the learner’s cognitive processes that transfer knowledge to a higher level of thinking. The selected method was a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological design. The themes that emerged from the nurse educators’ responses related to the students’ ability to gather information, assimilate information, and apply it to the patient’s situation to problem-solve for solutions. All the nurse educators agreed that the habits of mind (HOM) and critical thinking were important concepts needed for problem-solving. The HOM—confidence, flexibility, intuition, and reflection—were stated as most important and inquisitiveness, perseverance, and open-mindedness were least important. Debriefing clinical experiences, the use of guided questions, small group discussions, case studies, and the knowledge of concepts were the strategies most commonly used in the classroom, skills lab, and clinical. Further, in the skills lab, hands-on demonstration of skills was used to foster critical thinking

The Association Between Distances Traveled for Care and Treatment Choices for Pelvic Floor Disorders in a Rural Southwestern Population

OBJECTIVES: To determine if distance traveled for care influenced patient choice for conservative vs. surgical treatment for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and/or stress urinary incontinence (SUI). METHODS: Retrospective chart review of all new patients seen in the Urogynecology clinic at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) from January 2007 through September 2011. Data collected included medical history, Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POPQ) examination, and validated quality of life questionnaires. RESULTS: 1384 women were identified with POP and/or SUI. Women traveled an average of 50 miles to receive care at UNMH. After multivariable analysis, greater distance traveled was associated with increased likelihood of choosing surgery, OR 1.45 [1.18-1.76]. More advanced disease as measured by higher stage of prolapse, OR 3.43 [2.30-5.11], and positive leak with empty supine cough test, OR 1.94 [1.45-2.59] were also associated with choosing surgical management. CONCLUSIONS: Women who travel further for care and women with more advanced pelvic organ prolapse and/or stress urinary incontinence are more likely to choose surgical management for pelvic floor disorders

Anger Displayed by Second Grade Students Who have Experienced Periodic, Planned Role-Playing/Discussion Activities and a Comparable Group of Second Grade Students Who have Not Experienced Periodic, Planned Role-Playing/Discussion Activities

Is there a difference between how a group of second grade students who have experienced periodic, planned role playing/ discussion activities and a comparable group of second grade students who have not experienced periodic, planned role playing/ discussion activities will display anger when presented with problem situations

The Pop-History Spectacle: Curating Public Memory and Historical Consciousness through the Visual

Hosted in the nation’s capital, the multisensory/digital historical performances displayed on Centre Block at Parliament Hill have had over one million viewers, making the shows a popular summer attraction. Upon closer inspection, however, the historical narratives in both Mosaika and Northern Lights focus on limited, exclusionary, and mythological representations of Canada’s beginnings, but perhaps more importantly, the artistic and technological element, “the spectacle,” creates something new altogether—which we are calling pop-history. Pop-history, a cultural understanding of popular history, is the emphasis of the theatrical over the historical, making history a performance to be consumed, but not critically thought through, or engaged with. Through this, we argue that although technologically striking, the narrowly imagined pop-history spectacle contributes to the shaping of a limited Canadian historical consciousness based on a normalized version of the past

Towards a theory of decolonizing citizenship

In this paper, we consider the (im)possibilities of thinking about a decolonizing citizenship. Specifically, we work through a theorization of citizenship and decolonial theory as a means of considering the difficulties of talking about citizenship, a concept tied to nation-statehood and European liberal tradition, amidst a larger conversation about attending to decolonizing educational praxis. In working through this, we argue that, ultimately, the two are largely incommensurate without rethinking what citizenship is taken up to mean, what its purpose is and largely what it entails including, primarily, pluriversality or the multiple conceptions of being and knowing that characterizes life in a shared context

Gender in Engineering Departments: Are There Gender Differences in Interruptions of Academic Job Talks?

We use a case study of job talks in five engineering departments to analyze the under-studied area of gendered barriers to finalists for faculty positions. We focus on one segment of the interview day of short-listed candidates invited to campus: the “job talk”, when candidates present their original research to the academic department. We analyze video recordings of 119 job talks across five engineering departments at two Research 1 universities. Specifically, we analyze whether there are differences by gender or by years of post-Ph.D. experience in the number of interruptions, follow-up questions, and total questions that job candidates receive. We find that, compared to men, women receive more follow-up questions and more total questions. Moreover, a higher proportion of women’s talk time is taken up by the audience asking questions. Further, the number of questions is correlated with the job candidate’s statements and actions that reveal he or she is rushing to present their slides and complete the talk. We argue that women candidates face more interruptions and often have less time to bring their talk to a compelling conclusion, which is connected to the phenomenon of “stricter standards” of competence demanded by evaluators of short-listed women applying for a masculine-typed job. We conclude with policy recommendations

Orchids Paper Company 2014-2015

This case captures Orchids Paper Company at a time of significant change internally and in its environment. It presents opportunities to examine the concept of fit between Strategy, Environment, and Resources to maximize profit potential. The nature of Orchids’ products and industry facilitate the case’s accessibility, since Orchids operates in an industry which is fairly simple to understand (paper manufacturing). The case is intended for use in business policy and strategy classes at the undergraduate or MBA level, but might be used in operations, supply chain, finance, accounting or marketing classes by focusing on specific questions facing the firm

Online Reverse Auctions: An Overview

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is the fastest growing area in the U.S. economy with electronic procurement (e-procurement) being a major component, and online reverse auctions (ORAs) have emerged as a key e-procurement tool. Since the mid-1990s, ORAs have been gaining in popularity because of their potentially significant positive impact on the profitability of both the buyers and the sellers. Much has been written about the new purchasing paradigm and numerous stories have been reported recently. This paper is aimed at providing a critical review of ORAs by examining their historical developments, different forms, advantages, and disadvantages. In addition, 10 important factors to consider for successful implementation of ORAs are identified and discussed

Perinatal HIV Testing Policy Development In Wisconsin

Most children with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been infected through transmission of the virus from their mothers either in-utero, at delivery, or through breastfeeding. In 1994, pharmacological treatment of HIV-positive pregnant women prior to giving birth was shown to be effective in greatly reducing this transmission. Today, there is the potential for 1,000- 2,000 HIV infected babies to be born each year in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that there are between 96,000 and 120,000 HIV-positive women of childbearing age in the United States and approximately one-third do not know their HIV status. Research shows that women want to protect their unborn children and are willing to accept antiretroviral treatment to reduce mother to child transmission of the virus if found to be HIV -positive. Thus, while we may not be able to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV entirely, because of women who refuse treatment or testing, we can greatly reduce unrecognized births to HIV -positive women by increasing the numbers of women who are tested and know their HIV status. This paper will examine and recommend the best strategy to increase HIV testing of pregnant women to further reduce HIV infection in children born in WisconsinMaster of Public Healt