Translation, adaptation, and content validation of a French version of the Nurse Competence Scale in Canada.

Background: While everyone agrees that it is important for nurses to be competent practitioners, no validated French questionnaire measuring nurse competence is available to date. Internationally, one of the most frequently used questionnaires used to measure the competence level of nurses working in a clinical setting is the Nurse Competence Scale (NCS). Objective: The objective of this study was to translate and culturally adapt a French version of the NCS (NCS-Fr) with nurses working in the province of Quebec (Canada). Methods: It had a multi-method design, inspired by guidelines for translation, adaptation, and validation of scales in health research. The scale instructions and items were translated from English to French by two translators knowledgeable in nursing/healthcare and then back-translated to English by two other translators. Versions were compared; ambiguities and discrepancies were resolved during a synthesis discussion. A convenience sample of registered nurses (n=8) and experts in nursing education (n=10) assessed instructions and items for comprehensibility. Results: Content validity index (CVI) for items (I-CVI) of the preliminary version ranged from 0.56 to 1, with most items (n=64) meeting the threshold of 0.78. The scale CVI (S-CVI) was 0.89. Conclusion: This study used a rigorous method to translate and adapt a French version of the NCS. The next step will be to evaluate the psychometric properties and items performance of the NCSFr

How do new graduated nurses from a competency-based program demonstrate their competencies? A focused ethnography of acute care settings

Background : Following major organizations' recommendations, healthcare professionals' education has been reformed in the last decade into competency-based education (CBE) to better prepare them with core competencies. This change was intended to prepare new graduates for the reality of health systems and future challenges. Few studies have focused on how new graduate nurses (NGNs) from these reformed programs use the competencies they have developed. Objective : To describe the competencies of NGNs from a Canadian competency-based baccalaureate program, as perceived by various actors in acute-care settings. Methods : A focused ethnography was conducted on three acute-care wards of an academic hospital. Participants (n = 19) from four subgroups (NGNs, preceptors, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse managers) participated in individual semi-structured interviews or focus groups. Data were also collected through observation and fieldnotes; an ethnographic analysis framework was used. Results :Three themes were identified to describe the deployment of NGNs' competencies: NGNs' appropriation of their new role, fragmentation of practice into tasks, and development of practice; NGNs' collaboration within the interprofessional team, management of the dyad with licensed practical nurses, and ability to integrate patients and families into the team; and NGNs' scientific practice, increased scientific curiosity, and use of credible sources. Analysis of these themes' elements in light of the competency framework of the program showed that NGNs deploy seven of the eight competencies developed during their training. Conclusion :This study's results can be applied by nursing educators and hospital decision makers to ensure NGNs are able to use their competencies and to smoothen the transition period between the academic and clinical settings

One Gang Dies, Another Gains? The Network Dynamics of Criminal Group Persistence

What leads a minority of criminal groups to persist over time? Although most criminal groups are characterized by short life spans, a subset manages to survive extended periods. Contemporary research on criminal groups has been primarily descriptive and static, leaving important questions on the correlates of group persistence unanswered. By drawing from competing perspectives on the relationship between cohesion and group persistence, we apply a longitudinal approach to examine the network dynamics influencing the life span of criminal groups. We use 9 years of official data on the criminal and social networks of gang associates in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to delineate criminal group boundaries and examine variation in group duration. Our statistical approach simultaneously considers within‐ and between‐group attributes to isolate how groups’ cohesion, as well as their embeddedness in the wider gang structure, impacts survival. Our results show that group survival is a function of their cohesion and embeddedness. Yet, the relationship is not direct but moderated by group size. Whereas large groups that adopt closed structures are more likely to persist, small groups’ survival depends on less cohesive and more versatile structures. In the discussion, we consider the impact of these findings for the continued understanding of group trajectories

Compétences d’infirmiers nouvellement diplômés d’un programme de baccalauréat basé sur l’approche par compétences : une ethnographie ciblée d’un milieu de soins aigus

Dans les 15 dernières années, deux rapports (Frenk et al., 2010; Institute of Medicine, 2003) ont soutenu la nécessité d’une réforme dans les programmes de formation en sciences infirmières et autres sciences de la santé, afin de se baser sur une approche pédagogique par compétences (APC). Ce changement devait permettre de préparer les nouveaux diplômés à la réalité des systèmes de santé et aux défis de l’avenir. Peu d’études ont mis en évidence les compétences mises en œuvre par des infirmiers nouvellement diplômés (IND) de ces programmes réformés. Le but de cette étude était, d’une part, de décrire le déploiement de compétences d’IND d’un programme de baccalauréat basé sur une APC d’une faculté de sciences infirmières (FSI) québécoise, tel que perçu par différents acteurs dans une culture de milieu hospitalier de soins aigus et, d’autre part, de discuter de l’influence de cette culture sur ce déploiement de compétences. Pour guider cette étude, un cadre théorique a été construit, intégrant le modèle de développement de l’expertise professionnelle de Benner (1982, 1984) aux travaux de Tardif (2006) sur l’APC. Une ethnographie ciblée a été réalisée sur trois unités de soins aigus auprès de 19 acteurs-clés, soit des IND (n=4), infirmiers précepteurs (n=2), conseillers en soins infirmiers (n=9) et autres professionnels (n=4). Les données ont été collectées par des entrevues individuelles, groupes de discussion et de l’observation, et analysées selon le cadre ethnographique infirmier de Roper et Shapira (2000). Les résultats ont permis d’identifier trois thèmes. Le premier concerne les débuts professionnels des IND, l’appropriation de leur nouveau rôle, le morcellement de leur pratique en tâches et le développement de leur pratique. Le second thème porte sur la collaboration des IND dans l’équipe interprofessionnelle, la difficulté du travail en dyade avec l’infirmière auxiliaire et leur facilité à maintenir une relation avec les patients et leur famille. Le dernier thème concerne la pratique scientifique des IND, leur curiosité scientifique accrue ainsi que leur utilisation de sources scientifiques et crédibles qui doivent être encouragées. Les éléments décrits dans ces trois thèmes ont été analysés à la lumière du référentiel de compétences pour conclure que les IND déploient sept des huit compétences développées pendant leur formation initiale. Des facteurs organisationnels influencent ce déploiement de compétences, soit le programme d’accueil et d'orientation, la stabilité d’unité et d’horaire, la charge de travail et la culture scientifique de l’unité de soins. Des facteurs individuels ont aussi un impact, soit la personnalité et les stages effectués pendant la formation initiale des IND, l’identification de modèle de rôle, l’intégration des IND à l’équipe et la dénonciation de comportements d’intimidation de la part d’autres infirmières et finalement, la reconnaissance de l’expertise infirmière par les autres professionnels. Les connaissances découlant de cette étude permettent de mieux comprendre la transition d’IND d’un programme basé sur l’APC, lorsqu’ils débutent leur pratique professionnelle. Elles ont des retombées pour les différents champs d’activité de l’exercice infirmier et permettront d’améliorer les programmes de formation initiale et d’adoucir la période de transition entre le milieu de formation et le milieu clinique.In the last 15 years, two important reports (Frenk et al., 2010; Institute of Medicine, 2003) have supported the need for reform in nursing education and other health sciences curricula to build on competency-based education (CBE). This change was intended to prepare new graduates for the reality of health systems and future challenges. Few studies have focused on how newly graduated nurses (NGNs) from these reformed programs use the competencies they have developed. The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to describe the deployment of competencies of NGNs from a competency-based undergraduate nursing program in a Quebec faculty of nursing, as perceived by various actors in acute care settings and second, to examine the influence of the culture of acute care settings on competency deployment by NGNs. To guide this study, a theoretical framework integrating Benner’s professional advancement model (1982) to Tardif’s work on competency-based education and competency development (2006) was built. A focused ethnography was conducted on three acute care units of an academic hospital. Convenience and snowball sampling strategies were used to recruit 19 key actors: NGNs (n = 4), nurse preceptors (n = 2), clinical nurse specialists (n = 9) and other professionals (n = 4). Data were collected through individual interviews, focus groups and observation, and analyzed according to Roper and Shapira (2000) ethnographic nursing analysis framework. Three themes were identified to describe the deployment of competencies of NGNs. The first theme concerns the professional beginnings of NGNs, the appropriation of their new role, the fragmentation of their practice into tasks and the development of their practice. The second theme relates to the collaboration of NGNs in the interprofessional team, their difficulty in the management of the intraprofessional team with licensed practical nurses and their ability to maintain a relationship with patients and families. The last theme concerns the scientific practice of NGNs, their increased scientific curiosity and their use of scientific and credible sources that must be encouraged. The elements described in these three themes were analyzed in the light of the competency framework to conclude that the NGNs deploy seven of the eight competencies developed during their training. Organizational and individual factors were identified as influencing the deployment of competencies of NGNs. Organizational factors are orientation, stability, workload, as well as the scientific culture of the unit. Personal factors have been linked to groups of professionals: for NGNs, personality and clinical placements during their initial training; for nurses working with NGNs, to be role models, to promote integration and to denounce bullying; and for other health professionals, to recognize nursing expertise. The knowledge gained from this study provides a better understanding of the competencies of NGNs and the elements influencing the beginning of their practice. These results have implications for the various fields of nursing practice and will help improve initial training programs and ease the transition period between the academic environment and the clinical setting

Conflits sur un navire de croisière : étude descriptive

Cette étude vise à comprendre les motifs qui peuvent s’avérer source de conflits dans une situation où il est le plus inattendu : les navires de croisières. Nous analysons les constructions de la propagande de vente de croisières avec l’utilisation des mythes marins. Nous nous questionnons ensuite sur la relation entre l’être humain et la mer à partir de la grande diversité mythologique entourant celle-ci ainsi que l’expérience empirique de la vie sur un navire de croisière (également sur un paquebot, cargo et bateau militaire). Dans ce contexte touristique, nous abordons le thème de la rencontre de l’Autre : l’Autre étant les personnes habitant les destinations visitées, les touristes, et principalement, les employés sur le navire responsables du service à la clientèle. Enfin, nous analysons plusieurs conflits représentatifs vécus à bord d’une croisière afin de comprendre les structures conflictuelles ; l’espace, la subordination, les jeux de rôle, les classes sociales, etc.This study focuses on causes of conflict in a situation least expected: cruise ships. This analysis illustrates the structure of cruising propaganda and how it is linked to oceanic mythologies. Then, the study reveals the connection between humans and the sea, based on the wide mythology and one's empirical experience on a cruise ship (as well as on a liner, cargo or military ship). In a touristic context, this study focuses on the subject of encounter with The Other which, from point of view of the tourist, refers to the locals of the visited destinations, other tourists and mainly the customer service representatives of the cruise lines. The final analysis demonstrates relevant conflicts on board a cruise ship experienced by several informants. The ultimate objective of this study is to understand the causing structures of conflict such as the space, subordination, social roles, social classes, etc

Geochemical and physical sources of radon variation in a subterranean estuary — implications for groundwater radon activities in submarine groundwater discharge studies

Author Posting. © Elsevier B.V., 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Chemistry 110 (2008): 120-127, doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2008.02.011.Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), in form of springs and diffuse seepage, has long been recognized as a source of chemical constituents to the coastal ocean. Because groundwater is two to four orders of magnitude richer in radon than surface water, it has been used as both a qualitative and a quantitative tracer of groundwater discharge. Besides this large activity gradient, the other perceived advantage of radon stems from its classification as noble gas; that is, its chemical behavior is expected not to be influenced by salinity, redox, and diagenetic conditions present in aquatic environments. During our three-year monthly sampling of the subterranean estuary (STE) in Waquoit Bay, MA, we found highly variable radon activities (50-1600 dpm L-1) across the fresh-saline interface of the aquifer. We monitored pore water chemistry and radon activity at 8 fixed depths spanning from 2 to 5.6 m across the STE, and found seasonal fluctuations in activity at depths where elevated radon was observed. We postulate that most of pore water 222Rn is produced from particle-surface bound 226Ra, and that the accumulation of this radium is likely regulated by the presence of manganese (hydr)oxides. Layers of manganese (hydr)oxides form at the salinity transition zone (STZ), where water with high salinity, high manganese, and low redox potential mixes with fresh water. Responding to the seasonality of aquifer recharge, the location of the STZ and the layers with radium enriched manganese (hydr)oxide follows the seasonal land- or bay-ward movement of the freshwater lens. This results in seasonal changes in the depth where elevated radon activities are observed. The conclusion of our study is that the freshwater part of the STE has a radon signature that is completely different from the STZ or recirculated sea water. Therefore, the radon activity in SGD will depend on the ratio of fresh and recirculated seawater in the discharging groundwater.This work is a result of research sponsored by NSF (OCE- 0425061 to M.A.C.) and the WHOI Postdoctoral Scholar program (to H.D.)

Preparation of Mn-fiber standards for the efficiency calibration of the delayed coincidence counting system (RaDeCC)

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2010. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Chemistry 121 (2010): 206-214, doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2010.04.009.Precise measurements of the short lived radium isotopes 223Ra and 224Ra by means of the delayed coincidence counting system (RaDeCC) rely on an efficiency calibration of this system using Mn-fiber standards for which radium activities are exactly known. We prepared seventeen different standards by placing Mn-fibers in seawater spiked with various amounts of 227Ac (with 223Ra in radioactive equilibrium), 228Th (in radioactive equilibrium with 232Th and 224Ra) and 226Ra. We tested for quantitative adsorption of 227Ac and 228Th on the Mn-fibers by: (1) measuring 227Ac and 232Th in the residual solutions after preparing the Mn-fiber standards and (2) monitoring their 223Ra and 224Ra activities over a period of ~100 days. In the residual solutions, the activities of 227Ac and 232Th were < 1.0 % and < 5.3 %, respectively, of the activities initially added to the Mn-fibers. Our results indicate that Milli-Q water washing of the Mn-fibers is the major source of our observed losses of thorium. Measurements of 227Ac standards over 1½ years indicate a significant decrease of measurable 223Ra with time prohibiting the long-term use of 227Ac Mn-fiber standards. We found the 224Ra efficiency to be independent of the range of 227Ac, 228Th and 226Ra activities on the Mn-fibers standards used. The efficiency determination for 223Ra, however, may be biased in the case of relatively high 224Ra activities due to insufficient correction of chance of coincidence. Thus we suggest using a single 227Ac Mn-fiber standard for the efficiency determination for 223Ra.M. Charette and H. Dulaiova were supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (OCE- 0751461)

Un modèle de développement et de déploiement de compétences pour les enseignants et les formateurs cliniques en sciences infirmières

La communication entre les milieux d’enseignement en sciences infirmières et les milieux cliniques ne se fait pas de façon optimale. L’utilisation d’un langage commun partagé par les enseignants et les formateurs cliniques, en particulier en ce qui concerne les notions de développement et de déploiement de compétences, permettrait de situer les attentes envers les étudiants et les nouveaux diplômés sur un continuum débutant lors de la formation initiale et se poursuivant dans le milieu clinique. Cet article présente un modèle de développement et de déploiement de compétences en pratique infirmière, construit théoriquement par l’intégration des travaux de Patricia Benner sur le développement de l’expertise professionnelle à l’approche par compétences. Ce modèle situe l’apprentissage expérientiel et la réflexion comme des éléments centraux du processus de développement de l’expertise infirmière menant à une pratique infirmière de qualité, influencée par le contexte dans lequel l’infirmier se trouve. D’autres études seront nécessaires afin de bonifier ou valider empiriquement ce modèle, mais son l’utilisation pourrait faciliter un dialogue entre enseignants et formateurs cliniques pour optimiser l’intégration des infirmiers en début de pratique.Communication between nursing educational institutions and clinical settings is not optimal. The use of a common language shared by nurse academics and clinical educators, particularly about the notions of competency development and deployment, would make it possible to situate the expectations towards the students and the new graduates on a continuum beginning during pre-licensure education and continuing in the clinical setting. This article presents a model for the competency development and deployment in nursing practice, theoretically constructed by integrating the work of Patricia Benner on the development of professional expertise to competency-based education. This model places experiential learning and reflection as central elements in the process of nursing expertise development, influenced by the context in which the nurse is situated. Further studies will be needed to empirically enhance or validate this model, but its use could facilitate a dialogue between academics and clinical educators to optimize the integration of new graduate nurses at the beginning of practice

Theoretical foundations of educational strategies used in e-learning environments for developing clinical reasoning in nursing students : a scoping review

E-learning environments expand opportunities for the use of educational strategies that may contribute to the development of clinical reasoning in nursing students. The purposes of this scoping review were the following: 1) to map the principles of cognitive companionship and the theoretical foundations underlying the design and implementation of educational strategies used in e-learning environments for developing clinical reasoning in nursing students; and 2) to identify the types of educational strategies used in e-learning environments for developing or assessing clinical reasoning in nursing students. A scoping review was conducted and was based on the Joanna Briggs Institute Framework. Bibliographical databases were searched for studies published between January 2010 to July 2017. Out of 1202 screened articles, 18 met eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Principles of cognitive companionship in e-learning environments provide key clues from a learning support perspective, such as integrated feedback, interactive group discussion, gaming, and questioning. However, theoretical foundations underlying educational strategies in e-learning environments are poorly documented and insufficiently associated with cognitive learning models. E-learning environments must have solid theoretical foundations to provide support for the development of CR in nursing students

Critical process temperatures for resistive InGaAsP/InP heterostructures heavily implanted by Fe or Ga ions

We report on critical ion implantation and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process temperatures that produce resistive Fe- or Ga-implanted InGaAsP/InP heterostructures. Two InGaAsP/InP heterostructure compositions, with band gap wavelengths of 1.3 μm and 1.57 μm, were processed by ion implantation sequences done at multiple MeV energies and high fluence (1015 cm−2). The optimization of the fabrication process was closely related to the implantation temperature which influences the type of implant-induced defect structures. With hot implantation temperatures, at 373 K and 473 K, X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that dynamic defect annealing was strong and prevented the amorphization of the InGaAsP layers. These hot-implanted layers were less resistive and RTA could not optimize them systematically in favor of high resistivity. With cold implantation temperatures, at 83 K and even at 300 K, dynamic annealing was minimized. Damage clusters could form and accumulate to produce resistive amorphous-like structures. After recrystallization by RTA, polycrystalline signatures were found on every low-temperature Fe- and Ga-implanted structures. For both ion species, electrical parameters evolved similarly against annealing temperatures, and resistive structures were produced near 500 °C. However, better isolation was obtained with Fe implantation. Differences in sheet resistivities between the two alloy compositions were less than band gap-related effects. These observations, related to damage accumulation and recovery mechanisms, have important implications for the realization ion-implanted resistive layers that can be triggered with near infrared laser pulses and suitable for ultrafast optoelectronics