Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Karen H Morin.
There are several valid and reliable instruments available to help predict student success on the NCLEX-RN. None, however, should be used as the only predictor of success.
This study assessed the behavior of infants whose mothers had a drug history by using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. Data were collected via retrospective chart review (N = 103). Urine testing was only reported for 66 mothers during pregnancy and at birth. Infants performed within normally expected ranges for all items, except consolability and self-quieting. These findings support the use of NBAS in assessing newborn behavior because the information gained assists the parent in providing a supportive care giving environment that will not only help the infant recover but also enhance interaction between infant and parent.
Although the topic is not frequently addressed in the literature, faculty members are influential in leadership transitions within colleges. New leaders are chosen for their experience; vision; and ability to work with faculty, students, staff, and upper-level administrators to clarify and implement their vision for academic departments, schools, or colleges. However, a degree of uncertainty is involved when people learn to work with each other. Faculty play an important role in facilitating interactions and enhancing leader success. This article describes strategies faculty can use during these transitions.
Although male student nurses have expressed their discomfort with beginning their maternal-child clinical experience, little actually is known about the nature and quality of their experience. To address this gap, a phenomenological study was conducted to investigate the experiences of 8 male student nurses who had completed their maternal-child rotation. Three theme clusters emerged: preconceptions about the maternal-child rotation, enduring the clinical experience, and surviving the clinical rotation. Students began their rotations with mixed feelings (e.g., dread, anxiety, apprehension, unknowing, fear of rejection). Maternal-child nursing was viewed by male students as a woman's domain, in which they were visitors. The students expressed concerns about meeting clinical objectives and personal goals because of their gender and possible misinterpretations of their care. Consequently, they undertook special precautions when performing postpartum assessments. Faculty played a significant role in clients' responses to the students and in providing a supportive learning environment. Faculty need to be cognizant of students' feelings as they plan clinical experiences. Identification of student concerns prior to the experience may be beneficial for enhancing the learning environment.
The objective of this study was to review the literature for the quality of evidence available regarding faculty orientation programs and to identify practice and research implications. Computerized searches in Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Educational Resources Information Center, and references cited in articles, were the data sources reviewed. Keywords used in the search were faculty orientation, faculty development, faculty development programs, faculty mentoring, new faculty needs, nursing, teaching, and mentoring. All relevant articles published after 1980 were evaluated. Nineteen reports of research from indexed journals in English relevant to the keywords were reviewed: 14 were quantitative reports, and 5 were qualitative. Characteristics consistently present in the literature were that an orientation program takes place over a prolonged period of time, is incorporated into faculty development plans, creates or fosters an inviting environment, includes information about the tripartite role of the academician, and identifies a specific institutional resource person such as a mentor. Most research to date has been descriptive, consistent with the third level of quality of evidence (III; Marek, 1995). Faculty for whom orientation programs are offered might immerse themselves more effectively in their new environments. Mentoring relationships can ease faculty transitions.
This study assessed nursing students' perceptions of threat in the community from the beginning to the completion of their first formal community health nursing course (inclusive of specific community health content associated with relevant clinical experience) and determined how perceptions of threat differed by residential zone and by type of program (generic day, generic weekend/evening, or R.N.). Undergraduate nursing students were sampled from eight National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) accredited baccalaureate schools. Completed pretest data were obtained for 345 students. Completed post-test data were obtained for 274 students. Paired data were available for 197 students. Generally, students were comfortable when the environment was assessed within the context of daylight before and after the course. Students were not as comfortable with the environment when assessed within the context of nighttime either before they started the community course or after they completed it. Students continue to perceive that the community environment presents limited threats, particularly when viewed from the perspective of time of day. Because the community educational experience is not restricted to baccalaureate education (Cahill et al., 1998), nor is it conceptualized as a singular experience (Mellon & Nelson, 1998), the challenge to faculty is to enhance student learning by preparing them in such a manner that they assess their community environment for threats and practice safely within that environment. The use of the Environmental Comfort Scale III, including the open-ended question, may be one way to achieve this challenge.
PURPOSE: To describe the attitudes and perceptions of body image of African American postpartum women, and the differences in these measures when body mass index (BMI) was considered. DESIGN: Descriptive comparative. METHODOLOGY: Secondary analysis of a larger study. The sample was 45 African American women. Body image was assessed using the Attitude to Body Image Scale (ABIS) and the topographic device. Participants were grouped according to BMI categories. Body image differences by BMI category were determined using ANOVA. RESULTS: The mean ABIS score for the total sample was 2.8 (range = 1.0-5.8). Although not statistically significantly different, the mean ABIS score for the overweight/obese group was 3.4 (SD = 0.42), for the normal weight group the mean score was 2.8 (SD = 0.22) and for the underweight group it was 2.6 (SD = 0.24). The mean amount of perceived space occupied was 30.0 while the mean amount of actual space occupied was 21.0 in (N = 45). When the perceptual component was assessed, all women, irrespective of size, considered themselves larger than they actually were. However, perceptions did not differ by body mass category. IMPLICATIONS: Nurses can use this information to plan culturally sensitive postpartum care relative to body image and weight. Healthcare providers may wish to develop interventions that foster healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as healthy eating habits, based on health promotion rather than on weight loss. With this caveat in mind, performing a 24-hr recall of foods eaten would be an appropriate assessment strategy.
Because nutrition plays a critical role in infant growth and development, healthcare providers need current and accurate information in order to address parental concerns about infant nutrition. Although the benefits of breastfeeding are well recognized, mothers may decide not to breastfeed, and parents may have concerns about when to introduce foods other than human milk or formula. Findings from several studies indicate that parents continue to have questions related to infant feeding throughout infancy. Because nurses interact with parents during pregnancy, labor, birth, the postpartum, and routine infant care visits, nurses are a natural choice for parents to gain information about their babies. This article presents an update on select issues related to term infant nutrition, and specifically examines formula feeding, nutrient supplementation, introduction of solids, the use of juices, the vegetarian mother and infant, and infant colic.
Twenty-first century maternal-child faculty members are now being encouraged to base their teaching practice on sound evidence. Finding that evidence, however, can be challenging. This article discusses not only the current state of research on teaching in nursing, but also how and where educators can access information about teaching that is based on research. It also describes strategies educators can use to develop an evidence-based approach to teaching. Topics included in this discussion include recommended literature resources in nursing and education, bibliographic database search techniques, guides for appraisal of quantitative and qualitative research, and relevant nursing education and general education professional organizations. In addition, an evidence hierarchy from the field of education is introduced to rank educational studies in nursing. If nurse educators are to apply the evidence-based process used in clinical practice to the practice of nursing education, more research is needed in this field.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The objective of this study was to understand the experience of a pregnant woman with needle phobia and examine its impact on her antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum experience. A case study format was employed. A 21-year-old primiparous woman with diagnosed needle phobia was interviewed, and her prenatal and delivery records were reviewed. Three tasks during pregnancy were identified: seeking trusting relationships with health care providers; establishing and maintaining control and understanding; and coping with fear of needles, pain, and invasion. As frequent caregivers during childbearing, nurses with an understanding of needle phobia can help to establish trusting relationships with women with this phobia and support them and their families during childbearing and their encounters with needles.
Nutritional challenges are particularly relevant to women. Almost 62% of women are overweight; of these women, 33% are obese. The incidence of obesity is even greater in non-Hispanic Black and Mexican American women. Women who are overweight or obese experience a greater number of adverse health outcomes, including an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease and breast and colon cancer. Dietary patterns influence health outcomes, with a heart-healthy pattern having the most positive health outcomes. Health care providers should encourage women to consume a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in total and saturated fats.