Nursing Knowledge in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Curriculum

The goal of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education is to prepare advanced practice nurse leaders for the practice setting. Accordingly, it is imperative that DNP education is grounded in nursing theoretical knowledge. The purpose of this project was to examine the presence of nursing theoretical knowledge within DNP programs across the United States. A retrospective approach was used to review publicly available information on the webpages of a sample of DNP programs accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) to determine if nursing theoretical knowledge guided DNP programs. Demographic information was also collected. A sample of 100 CCNE accredited programs revealed a lack of nursing theoretical knowledge visible within DNP programs. It is unclear how DNPs are being prepared to be practice leaders guided by nursing theoretical knowledge. Nursing leaders must develop policies to assure that nursing knowledge is core in DNP programs.

Thoughts About Nursing Curricula: Dark Clouds and Bright Lights

In this essay, several nurse scholars who are particularly concerned about the contemporary state of nursing science present their concerns about the inclusion of nursing conceptual models and theories in the curricula of nursing programs (dark clouds) and ways in which the concerns have been addressed (bright lights). This essay is the second of two essays that were catalyzed by Barrett's paper, "Again, What Is Nursing Science?" The first essay was published in the previous issue of Nursing Science Quarterly.

From Academic-Practice Partnership to Professional Nursing Practice Model

HOW TO OBTAIN CONTACT HOURS BY READING THIS ISSUE Instructions: 1.2 contact hours will be awarded by Villanova University College of Nursing upon successful completion of this activity. A contact hour is a unit of measurement that denotes 60 minutes of an organized learning activity. This is a learner-based activity. Villanova University College of Nursing does not require submission of your answers to the quiz. A contact hour certificate will be awarded after you register, pay the registration fee, and complete the evaluation form online at http://goo.gl/gMfXaf. In order to obtain contact hours you must: 1. Read the article, "From Academic-Practice Partnership to Professional Nursing Practice Model," found on pages 104-112, carefully noting any tables and other illustrative materials that are included to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the content. Be sure to keep track of the amount of time (number of minutes) you spend reading the article and completing the quiz. 2. Read and answer each question on the quiz. After completing all of the questions, compare your answers to those provided within this issue. If you have incorrect answers, return to the article for further study. 3. Go to the Villanova website to register for contact hour credit. You will be asked to provide your name, contact information, and a VISA, MasterCard, or Discover card number for payment of the $20.00 fee. Once you complete the online evaluation, a certificate will be automatically generated. This activity is valid for continuing education credit until February 28, 2020. CONTACT HOURS This activity is co-provided by Villanova University College of Nursing and SLACK Incorporated. Villanova University College of Nursing is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. OBJECTIVES Describe the benefits and barriers to participation in a community-based academic-practice partnership. Identify three changes in the practice environment that transform the practice of staff nurses working in partnership model clinical units. DISCLOSURE STATEMENT Neither the planners nor the author have any conflicts of interest to disclose. This study used a qualitative descriptive design to examine the role of the expert staff nurse or clinical liaison nurse (CLN) participating in a community-based academic-practice partnership. Little is known about the influence of participation by expert nurses in community hospital settings. Focus groups were conducted with nine CLNs to explicate their experiences in a unit-based leadership practice model. Eight themes were identified: Reciprocal Learning Between Staff Nurses and Students; Reciprocal Learning Between Student and Patient; Working Around the System; Building Relationships; Valuing the CLN Role; Faculty Recognition of CLNs; Transforming Practice; and a variant theme, Recognition That Some Nurses Neither Value nor Enjoy Working With Students. The benefits of developing partnerships in community hospitals can be far reaching and may be of interest to educators and leaders in the profession. When a practice environment focused on evidence and was fueled by student enthusiasm reinvigorates staff nurses, their work world suddenly transforms. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2017;48(3):104-112.

Leading from the heart: caring, love, peace, and values guiding leadership

Contemporary transformational leadership focuses on authentic leadership styles, relational caring, meaningful recognition, creativity, building trust, relationships, participative decision making, dialogue with time for reflection, and innovation. The purpose of this paper is to illuminate how concepts from the unitary transformative paradigm and caring science can be integrated within nursing leadership practice, to invite nurse leaders to make these concepts explicit in their own transformational leadership journey, and to offer ways of reframing traditional organizational language. Practice exemplars are presented to highlight how tenets from caring theory are guiding the practice of nursing leadership.

Instead of Reconceptualizing the Nursing Process Let’s Re-Name It

The discipline of nursing embraces the unitary-transformative paradigm and its theories that focus on nursing with attention to the language of humanbecoming, holism, relationship, authentic presence, caring, ethical interaction, complexity, pattern, energy, and recognition. In hospital nursing practice the medical paradigm is more prevalent and focuses on regulatory compliance, the standardization of technical language of the electronic health record, and the implementation of evidence-based practice initiatives for patient safety and quality improvement. Nursing and nursing theories are considered a moral enterprise; they involve seeking the good or caring for patients, others, and complex systems. With the continued influence of the medical paradigm, the questions for nursing are: what kind of good does nursing want to promote, and what unique contribution to patient care do nurses provide through their language, theories, and practice? A new mnemonic of Recognizing, Connecting, Partnering, and Reflecting is proposed.

Magnetism and the nursing workforce

The focus of this chapter is to highlight practice exemplars and research findings related to the five components of the new Magnet Model. A brief overview of the historical development and professional evolution of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program is presented followed by a brief overview of the original fourteen forces of magnetism. Content related to empirical practice-based research framed under the components of transformational leadership; structural empowerment; exemplary professional practice; new knowledge, innovation, and improvement; and empirical outcomes is presented and discussed. The authors provide key findings from scholarly publications and describe how the findings contribute to the creation of work environments based on the tenets of magnetism. The chapter concludes with a brief over of the ANCC Pathway to Excellence Program.

Development of a DiaBEATes Nurse Champion Program

PURPOSE

This article shares an innovative educational practice for increasing the knowledge base of direct-care registered nurses related to diabetes management. Outcome data include quantitative analysis of test scores, qualitative responses of changes in practice, and participation in monthly diabetes resource meetings.

CONCLUSION

Diabetes educators will find the DiaBEATes Nurse Champion program useful for structuring educational programs within various practice settings. The case studies are useful tools for evaluating specific application of diabetes knowledge.

BACKGROUND

The nearly 24 million people with diabetes strain the health care system in terms of resources and health care dollars. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) a hospital stay for a patient with diabetes costs almost 3 times the stay of a patient without diabetes. The higher costs associated with caring for a patient with diabetes is partly attributed to inadequate knowledge regarding current diabetes treatment options and the failure of some health care workers to accept professional responsibility for diabetes management.

Building a nursing research fellowship in a community hospital

Often, registered nurses feel that they are using "evidence" to guide practice, but in reality the sources of evidence are not based on research. The nursing leadership team at Northwest Community Hospital was committed to integrating evidence-based practice and nursing research into the clinical setting for RNs at all levels of the organization. The scope of the fellowship program enabled direct care RNs to receive protected release time for a 12-month period to develop a research proposal, implement the study, and disseminate the findings. The Nursing Research Fellowship Program was successful from the perspective of the Magnet appraisers who recognized the program as a Magnet exemplar, the chief executive officer, the CNE, members of the nursing leadership team, professional colleagues, the fellows and partners, and registered nurses at all levels in the organization. Nursing research is now part of the professional nursing culture.

An essential component of the Magnet journey: fostering an environment for evidence-based practice and nursing research

Creating, advancing, and sustaining a practice environment grounded in evidence-based practice and nursing research is essential to achieving Magnet status. The purpose of this article is 2-fold. First, to describe a model for the integration of evidence-based practice. Second, to illustrate how a community hospital used this model as a framework for the integration of evidence-based practice and nursing research as part of its journey toward achieving Magnet status.

Creating a caring practice environment through self-renewal

The soul of nursing is seeking the good of self and others through compassionate caring. Healing and caring for oneself is vital to have the energy to compassionately care for others. Nurse leaders have the moral responsibility to facilitate self-care, renewal, and healing in the organizational culture to foster caring and trusting relationships. Nurses who have a strong sense of self and caring will provide holistic patient care grounded in caring values.

Federal Nursing Service Award. Impact of TriCare/managed care on total force readiness

Mission readiness is dependent on a healthy total force and the response of military medical and nursing services. Managed care has become the norm in U.S. health care, including the Department of Defense Military Health System. Cost management, health maintenance organizations, and other health plans are defined as "managed care," an aggressive cost-control effort by health care purchasers and insurers to limit health care spending and services and advance a market-oriented, profit-driven system. The impact of managed care on mission readiness and retention of active and reserve personnel is and will continue to be profound. The purpose of this research was to conduct a qualitative, phenomenological study (life experiences) of TriCare/managed care to explore the impact and the meaning of the experience on total force mission readiness of the U.S. Air Force and how managed care has changed nursing practice. The results reveal the significance of the impact of TriCare/managed care on total force readiness by identifying, through themes, meta-themes, and a representative model, the negative effect that economics is having on active duty and reserve force health and well-being.