Adolescent dating violence may lead to adverse health behaviors. We examined associations between sexual teen dating violence victimization (TDVV) and sexual risk behaviors among U.S. high school students using 2013 and 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (combined n = 29,346). Sex-stratified logistic regression models were used to estimate these associations among students who had dated or gone out with someone during the past 12 months (n = 20,093). Among these students, 10.5% experienced sexual TDVV. Sexual TDVV was positively associated with sexual intercourse before age 13, four or more lifetime sexual partners, current sexual activity, alcohol or drug use before last sexual intercourse, and no pregnancy prevention during last sexual intercourse. Given significant findings among both sexes, it is valuable for dating violence prevention efforts to target both female and male students.

Interprofessional education (IPE) using simulation strategies is a rewarding way to promote teamwork and interprofessional collaboration. The benefits of collaboration far outweigh the challenges that arise from differences in educational culture and scheduling logistics.

The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) functions as an expert clinician to disseminate knowledge and apply evidence-based practice in his or her role. The framework of CNS practice competencies (patient, nurse, and system) reflects an opportunity to advocate for disadvantaged and underserved populations when providing care. Strategies, techniques, and tools to advance CNS practice in the primary care setting are discussed.

In the United States, discussing end-of-life wishes and preferences has been taboo ever since death and dying moved from a stage of life to a medical condition. This article describes the transformative nature of a Minnesota health care initiative, Honoring Choices Minnesota (HCM). As the world’s largest nongovernmental, voluntary community-centered initiative, HCM is changing the culture around speaking of death and dying, one conversation at a time.

How do successful leaders do that? In this interview with Marlene Williamson, director of Inpatient Nursing Services at Winchester Hospital in Winchester, MA, she describes the leadership behaviors that created a float team that thrives, provides highly valued care, continually improves their individual performance, and usually has a waiting list of internal applicants. Barbara Balik’s analysis of Marlene Williamson’s comments are in indented paragraphs.

Measuring the functionality of Unit Practice Councils (UPCs) in institutions on the Magnet journey is a rare occurrence. The Jackson Health System Unit Practice Council Functionality Measurement Tool is one of the first such attempts to provide an objective way to assess whether UPCs function in the way they were envisioned to perform.

Four nurses from University of California Davis Medical Center, facilitators of the Re-Igniting the Spirit of Caring curriculum that engages, grounds, renews, and unifies staff from all disciplines within health care organizations, traveled to Minnesota for recertification, and attended a Nursing Salon at “the home of the master,” Marie Manthey. They experienced the progress from superficial chat to deeper, heartfelt conversations—being present with each other and collectively held by peers.

Transcultural nursing inspires us for humanness. The breadth of a culture is handed down through stories. Storytelling creates understanding and mutuality within a culture and between cultures. Deeper understanding can lead to better patient outcomes across variances in health, wellness, and social standing. The intentional use of storying by six nurses in a project called Story Care led to more appreciative understanding of the other’s culture and raised awareness of self in interaction with another. The nurses, patients, and their families had deliberate opportunities to learn more about another who was culturally different, to understand how historical perspectives influence the dynamics of interactions, and to explore a sense of commonality and mutuality in nurse–patient engagements. As we strive for cultural intelligence, diversity, and inclusion in our organizations, transcultural nursing helps nurses connect to and be mindful of cultural ways in which we understand a patient’s or population’s vulnerability, determination, spirit, and strengths that give meaning to their whole health.

Nursing is a profession that affords many avenues in which to practice. Nurses who are married to military service members have unique challenges as they progress through their careers. A military spouse shares a personal perspective of challenges and insight on how to overcome and persevere that may be relevant to others within the greater nursing community.

This article discusses a unique educational partnership between nurse leaders and a university baccalaureate nursing program that nurtures future nursing administrators. A structured mentoring process in which students are guided through an internship with nursing administrators and executives promotes development of a career focus, leading novices to a more mature role on their career journeys.

Numerous expert sources have reported a reduction in positions available for new graduate nurses, largely because of general economic conditions, although there are conflicting data and significant geographic variances. Nursing education, nursing practice, and new graduates themselves must develop partnerships to better prepare graduates for more challenging employment searches so that these newest members of the nursing workforce are retained and available for practice in preparation for the expected shortage of nurses in the near future.

Most nurses were taught in nursing school to avoid talking over a patient as if the patient were not there. This manuscript describes the author's experience of being talked over as a patient—what it meant to her as a nurse relating to the ethics of the situation and as an educator of future nurses. The American Nurses Association's Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (2015) addresses the responsibility of nurses at all levels within an organization to sustain a work environment that ensures quality, safe patient care. Nurses who embody this responsibility are knowledgeable, skilled, and mindful of what they say and how they act and interact around, with, and over patients and toward each other.

As health care professionals, we commit ourselves to lifelong learning. In that quest, wise professionals know that our patients and their loved ones become our most important teachers.

In no uncertain terms my new patient, who also was a long-standing friend, challenged me and put me in my place as I continually urged her to change her previous antihypertensive medicines that just weren’t working. Finally closing the discussion as she declined to make a change, she said, “Larry, I am the professor of myself.”

According to The Joint Commission (TJC), the most frequently cited root cause of sentinel events is ineffective communication or miscommunication (TJC, 2002, 2012). The need to improve communication among health care professionals is a high priority because of the serious consequences of poor communication for everyone involved, on both personal and corporate levels. Applied improvisational exercises (AIEs) comprise a strategy for enhancing interprofessional communication (IPC). This article asks: What are the challenges inherent in IPC and teambuilding in the health care setting, and how can AIE help bridge the communication gap?

In today’s health care environment, end-of-life issues frequently recur with patients, families and those who care for them. And, as with many such issues, some health care teams address them well and others do not. Accordingly, we gathered three hospice nurses, an ICU nurse and a retired internist to discuss the myths, misconceptions and obstacles to patients receiving appropriate palliative care. Hospice care veteran Jane Robles, a member of the Creative Nursing Journal editorial board, led the roundtable discussion.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree is a new terminal degree for nursing. This article reviews the essentials of the DNP degree as published by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and describes the author’s personal journey toward completion of the DNP degree in December 2008.

Complexity and chaos inherent in health care initiate opportunities for errors and make it difficult to improve patient safety. Effectively improving patient safety requires embracing the complex health care environment, care processes, and patients.

We can choose to approach life with an attitude of abundance instead of an attitude of scarcity. Abundance is a conscious choice that can promote happiness and lead to more positive outcomes.

Human trafficking emerged as a serious social issue in North Dakota during the Bakken oil field boom in the western part of the state. The oil industry has seen a dramatic decrease in production in recent years. However, the presence of human trafficking continues to dominate the scene in the state. As the RN Case Manager and Community Outreach Nurse for a Healthcare for the Homeless grantee clinic in Fargo, the author is the only nurse outside of a traditional environment who works with victims of trafficking in the largest metropolitan area of North Dakota. The majority of the current targets for this heinous industry are young Native American women. The author, a Lakota woman, employs an approach with trafficking victims that seeks to reestablish the view of self as a being with significant value and ability to contribute to the world in a way that no other being can. In advocacy, she teaches professionals about the Lakota view of the Earth as a living being whose destruction may be correlated with the increased violence against women.

Foreign-born educators face unique challenges teaching in American nursing schools. The purpose of this article is to create awareness about communication challenges they encounter and provide strategies they can implement to enhance teaching effectiveness and improve cross-cultural communication.

Nursing students are largely excluded from travel-abroad studies because of demanding curricula, lack of time, and cost. A poll was conducted and distributed to bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and master of science in nursing (MSN) students who participated in 8-day observational trips. Questions were framed around the themes of cultural awareness, global health care perspective, translating theory into practice, and personal and professional growth. The results were compared with traditional long-term study-abroad outcomes. Participants reported increased cultural awareness through personal interactions and personal growth through continued reflection. Perceived impact on nursing practice was rated as neutral, but narrative comments implied actual influence on practice.

A pre-exam guided imagery intervention was implemented with 49 senior baccalaureate nursing students to address test anxiety. The intervention consisted of listening to a 10-minute recorded audio guided imagery exercise. Self-reported anxiety levels were measured using a Likert scale pre- and post-guided imagery. Most students demonstrated a reduction in test anxiety postintervention.

Complications experienced by grieving young adults have developmental, mental, and behavioral components. Music offers opportunities to promote healthy grieving. While song writing has been widely used as an informal therapy for centuries, current researchers are beginning to explore its benefits. There is a noticeable lack of literature regarding the role of music in the grieving process. The aims of this study were to explore the grieving experiences of young adults who had lost a family member or friend, to identify song elements most helpful in promoting healthy grieving, and then to use these findings to compose a piece of music. Fifteen 20- to 23-year-old participants were interviewed about the death of a close friend or family member using a structured interview guide that included questions about their experience with the death and their grief, as well as questions about what song elements might help in grief. These questions included specifics about the song tempo (speed), dynamic (volume), and whether the song should contain lyrics (words). Thematic analysis was used to analyze interviews. Themes derived from the interview that should be relayed in a song included: Grief can include joy and pain together; It will get better; There is value in community; and, It is ok not to be ok. For song elements, participants elected a slow tempo, a mixed or soft dynamic, and inclusion of lyrical content. All findings were integrated into a song composition that may help promote healthy grieving.

This article traces the development of a research project with a Native American community. Four principles were used to guide the development of the “Community Partnership to Affect Cherokee Adolescent Substance Abuse” project using a community-based participatory research approach. The principles suggest that establishing trust is key when developing and conducting research with a Native American community.

Workplace incivility is a known cause of anxiety in the workplace, leading to the loss of many new members of the nursing field. This perpetual cycle of hiring and losing nurses, especially new graduates, contributes to the increasing nursing shortage. This study investigated whether the inclusion of prelicensure nursing education on workplace incivility is achievable and capable of improving the outcome for nurses when it occurs. Review of the literature revealed that inclusion of prelicensure education on this topic is possible through utilization of a zero-tolerance policy, Cognitive Rehearsal Technique (CRT), and simulation. Education on workplace incivility and the aforementioned formats for prelicensure education were presented to faculty of a Southeastern U.S. college. Respondents demonstrated interest in detailed instruction on incorporating it into their teaching.

Since its development in the 1960s, primary nursing has become the model of care delivery in many health care settings. Over time, myths have developed about primary nursing’s relevance in environments with high acuity, varying skill mixes, diverse staffing patterns, and short lengths of stay. This article addresses those myths.

We are usually drawn to what we love and need. This article describes how the author’s life experiences and her participation in grief counseling helped her find a calling helping others on their journey through the grief process, toward healing.

The impact of climate change on human health is projected to worsen over the next century, threatening the world's population. Nurses need to be knowledgeable about the causes of climate change and its direct and indirect health consequences, to be able to provide appropriate care and to advocate for policy change. More now than ever, nursing faculty are charged with the responsibility to educate future health professionals about this important topic. This article provides an introduction to the impacts of climate change on nursing care delivery and shares the pedagogy of an introductory course developed for an online, postlicensure RN-BSN program based at a university with deep roots in environmental sustainability.

Sometimes nurses are too harsh on themselves because they truly want to provide compassionate care for their patients. This attitude can lead to feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, incompetence, frustration, and despair. In such situations, nurses can improve their well-being by developing compassionate self-awareness—becoming aware of one’s strengths and limitations without being over-critical and judgmental. This article describes the concept of compassionate self-awareness in light of the available anecdotal literature and personal experiences and argues that compassionate self-awareness can serve as a hidden resource for developing a therapeutic relationship with self and with patients.

Through a collaborative partnership with administrators at a university, nurse leaders at a local hospital worked to create a culture in which nurses could provide evidence-based practice (EBP). The Best Practice Series was started, and two participants’ experiences of implementing EBP in their units are described with encouraging results.

This essay describes an educator's desire to teach her nursing students that individuals with mental illness are people and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. During an informal discussion, she learned that one of her junior-level students has used art to educate nonnursing peers about the struggles that people with mental illness face every day and how to treat them with respect. The essay begins with a description of what the teacher hopes to convey to her students about people with mental illness. This is followed by a student essay that describes how she used photography to educate her nonnursing peers about the challenges that people with mental illness face, inviting them to act in ethical ways. In the end, both the teacher and the student are enlightened.

Caring is the essence of nursing; however, caring behaviors may not be identifiable in the health care environment today. Relationship-Based Care (RBC) provides an avenue to promote a caring environment. This article describes the process one hospital used to implement RBC in their organization.

The predicted impacts of climate change are fast becoming a reality and are already adversely affecting human health and health systems. Events such as flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires are challenging communities to re-evaluate whether their schools provide a safe, healthy environment. Among the populations most vulnerable to the impacts of our changing climate are our children. Nurses are key to supporting mitigation and adaptation efforts to promote more resilient school environments, using approaches based on values of the common good and social justice.

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has improved the health and life expectancy of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Comorbidities and geriatric syndrome are more prevalent in patients with HIV than in the general population. As a result, people living with HIV may face unique characteristics and needs related to aging. Health-care systems need to prepare to encounter those issues that not only focus on virology suppression and cART management but also chronic non-AIDS comorbidities and geriatric syndrome. However, there are limited data on geriatric assessment among people living with HIV. The purpose of this article is to present findings of a literature search that integrate age-related issues in HIV care management for health-care professionals caring for people living with HIV in Indonesia to consider. Integrating comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) into HIV care is essential. However, some critical issues need to be considered prior to implementing CGA in HIV primary care, including social vulnerability, economic inequality, and aging-related stigma. Developing guidelines for implementing CGA in HIV primary clinics remains a priority. Studies of HIV in the aging population in Indonesia need to be conducted to understand the burden of geriatric syndrome.

This article introduces the concept of vulnerability in health care and explores the extant literature to determine its tenets. The debate over what constitutes ethical research is centered in part on the concept of vulnerability. The Belmont Report (National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, 1978), the first human research ethics guideline to identify vulnerable groups, specified that those identified as vulnerable need extra protections during research participation. Identified limitations of the Belmont Report, especially with regard to racial minorities, led to the Heckler Report (Heckler, M. M., & U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1985), which laid the foundation for actionable steps to eliminate health disparities among racial and ethnic minority groups. The American Nurses Association's Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (American Nurses Association, 2015), requires nurses to promote, advocate, and strive to protect the health, safety, and rights of all individuals and groups. A conceptual understanding of vulnerability allows nurses and researchers to advocate for and better serve individuals and groups deemed vulnerable. Nurse advocacy is paramount in reducing health disparities and improving health outcomes among vulnerable groups.

Students in early-level nursing courses often doubt their ability to intervene effectively to impact health, much less save a life, due to lack of hands-on experience and confidence. Theoretical concepts introduced in early-level courses are abstract terms that can be difficult for the novice student to grasp. Two strategies were designed to take early-level nursing students beyond the theory and increase their awareness of the power of prevention through risk identification, advocacy, health education, and early intervention. Opportunities to apply concepts such as health education, role of the nurse, communication, growth and development, and family systems theory were provided through use of these strategies. Both assignments have been well received by early-level students and other instructors. Informal feedback indicates that these strategies can enhance students' confidence in their perceived ability to promote health and prevent adverse outcomes. The strategies presented in this article respond to the call to provide opportunities within the curriculum that facilitate application of theoretical content; they can empower novice students in their ability to impact lives and can set them up for success as they progress through the program.

Across many levels of nursing education, mentored experiences are an essential part of learning. To enhance understanding, learning, and comfort for those new to professional roles, experienced and skilled professionals provide motivation while teaching professional skills, demonstrating technical competence, and displaying behavior expected of a professional. Educator preparation topics such as curriculum development, evaluation, and lesson planning are not typically included in PhD programs, leaving PhD students feeling unprepared to teach (Hudacek & Carpenter, 1998; Ivey, 2007). The lack of educator pedagogy forces nurse faculty members to learn on the job (Gardner, 2014; Oermann, 2017). Preceptorships are among the faculty role development opportunities not commonplace for aspiring nurse educators; these opportunities for PhD students to observe and model nurse educators have been noted as limited (Gardner, 2014). Experts have called for more educator-focused learning experiences and preceptorship opportunities in PhD programs (National League for Nursing Board of Governors, 2002; Oermann, 2017). The purpose of this article is to describe a creative approach to introducing nurses enrolled in doctoral programs to the faculty role within the academic setting.

In the United States, nursing education programs at mostly white institutions are led by faculty that are 80% white. This absence of diversity is a symptom of systemic racism and white supremacy, reinforced through built systems of inequity and economic constraints that influence accessibility of nursing education programs. White cultural norms drive standards of professionalism and assimilation within nursing education programs. These standards are formulated from white cultural supremacy and contribute to the unconscious biases of nursing faculty. It is necessary to examine these biases to reduce potential and realized inequities for students of color in current nursing education programs. Challenging and changing these cultural norms can contribute to the dismantling of systemic racism and white supremacy in nursing education and the profession of nursing, thereby increasing the diversity of the professional workforce.

After controlling for education, socioeconomic status, and genetic factors, Black and African American patients in the United States are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth than are White patients. The literature is replete with strategies to improve maternal outcomes for Black and African American patients. Existing strategies focus on addressing poverty and individual risk factors to reduce maternal mortality, yet maternal outcomes are not improving for these patients in the United States. Recent literature suggests that a nuanced approach that considers the effects of individual and structural racism could improve maternal outcomes, especially for Black and African American patients. As nurses comprise the largest component of the health-care system, their collective power and influence can provide a powerful tool for dismantling structural racism. Some important concepts to consider regarding the care of the Black and African American population are cultural intelligence (CQ), allostatic load, and humanitarian ethos. By developing CQ and consistently including the four CQ capabilities (drive/motivation, knowledge/cognition, strategy/metacognition, and behavior/action) in all aspects of practice, nurses can help to uproot racism and cultivate experience to improve maternal health outcomes for Black and African American patients.

Individuals who are incarcerated are disproportionately affected by chronic disease, mental health concerns, and substance use, compared to the general population. Despite the need to improve health in individuals who are incarcerated, the delivery of quality health care, including health education, often meets with challenges. Quality health education lays a foundation for improved health, and is one strategy nurses can use to improve the health of incarcerated individuals. To address this pressing health need, students in a community health nursing course at the University of Illinois at Chicago provided health education to men finishing their prison sentences at an adult transition center. Verbal and written statements from the men and the students indicate that the educational offering was a positive experience. One man's attendance at a health education class had a life-changing impact on another man at the center.

Community health centers have withstood adversity for several decades. As health-care systems seek to reverse health inequities experienced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), learnings from community health centers demonstrate tangible ways to improve access and health for all. During the COVID-19 pandemic many community health centers have engaged in innovations in services to build on trust and to reach community members with testing and other needed services. Lessons around leading these efforts could support systemic change in the health-care system.

Clinical professors are a particularly important determinant of student success in becoming a proficient nurse. The clinical professor is responsible for helping students apply didactic knowledge to clinical skills. This article discusses strategies clinical professors can use to maximize undergraduate nursing students' skills and competencies and to raise awareness of healthy behaviors affecting patient care. Applying effective and fun strategies can help students decrease anxiety, apply critical thinking, develop autonomy, and learn time management. These applied strategies help students develop delegation skills required to be professional, competent nurses, while promoting health and well-being.

Public health practitioners and scientists in the United States have been attempting to limit the damage from a perfect storm caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic and resulting economic downturn, increasing racial tensions as a result of the witnessed public murder of a Black man at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, and increasing gun violence. Many citizens of the United States have become distrustful of government, and political tensions remain high following the contested presidential election in the fall of 2020. Therefore, public health recommendations to limit social gatherings, wear masks, and limit travel have been met with both support and resistance throughout the nation. If the COVID-19 virus can be effectively managed, it will require the public to adhere to public health recommendations. The health of all of us depends on the health of each of us.

Hospitals are increasingly implementing residencies to help ensure that new graduate nurses are prepared to provide safe and effective care. At the Cleveland Clinic, a docudrama focused on ethical concerns in living with dementia was implemented into a 6-month pilot new graduate nurse residency program. Outcomes suggest that the docudrama helped nurse residents gain empathy and understanding through stepping into the lives of families experiencing dementia.

Taking time for positive laughter in the workplace every day is energizing, health-promoting, and rewarding. Humor happenings and mirthful moments are all around us; we need to be receptive to them. Research provides evidence that laughter is a powerful tool when used appropriately in our personal and professional life journey.

A participant in a study of complexity compression conducted by the Minnesota Nurses Association and the University of Minnesota School of Nursing discusses how nurses cope with the increased complexity of client needs and systems of care, and with the increasing demands from both.

The precepted clinical education experience continues to be an integral component in the process of educating student nurses. However, preparation of experienced nurses for the preceptor role lags behind the need. This article presents a summary of the requirements and recommended components of successful preceptorships and preceptor development programs.

Nursing has been challenged to claim full partnership with other health care providers. To reach this goal nurse educators must ensure that curriculum and textbooks provide appropriate content on the nature and use of power, how to collaborate, and how to develop partnerships.

Clinical educators are often burdened by conflicts that occur as they try to balance multiple postclinical scheduling demands with students’ varying timetables. The purpose of this article is to inform educators how to use teleconferences to deliver valuable postclinical debriefing, model professional growth experiences, and more. The innovative use of teleconferencing as a pedagogical method enables educators to take learning to the learners.

The desire of community hospitals to build more professionalism into nursing practice through the implementation of a practice philosophy and model can be driven by several factors, including practice needs, consistency, and/or a Magnet Recognition journey. The development team for this institution provided 30 2-hour sessions on professional practice to nurses on all shifts. This training was mandatory, with typical resistance for such programs. The rollout strategy wove cognitive and affective teaching methods that integrated head and heart, with very positive outcomes identified in postprogram evaluations.

Social justice advocacy is an expectation of all nurses as expressed in the professional codes that guide nursing practice. Nursing literature reflects this shift in the focus of nursing advocacy, providing insight into the potentials and challenges associated with nursing’s evolution toward a broader social justice advocacy model. This article describes the concept of social justice advocacy as currently reflected in professional codes and nursing literature and contrasts this with the individual patient–nurse advocacy model, which continues to dominate in nursing practice today. Challenges associated with movement toward a social justice advocacy model and options for addressing these hurdles are also discussed.

This article recounts the author’s personal experience with a flawed medication reconciliation system that was improved through her initiative and persistence. The history, function, and value of the nurse navigator role in identifying barriers to care are described. The author advocates for expanding our horizons beyond navigation to address and eliminate the identified barriers to provide high-quality patient and family care.

The University of Washington School of Nursing faculty partnered with leaders of a local community with the shared intention of improving health services for needy populations and preparing nursing students to collaborate with communities in caring for such populations. The resulting clinic has operated for more than a decade and has continually grown, now serving about 1,000 patients per month. More than 300 students have completed clinical or research activities at the clinic. Challenges have included provision of culturally informed, evidence-based care; integration of mental and primary health care services; chronic disease management; leveraging community partnerships in support of needy populations; and fiscal sustainability. A new project uses team-based approaches to implement interprofessional, relationship-centered care for families of newborns.

This article recounts the experiences of a first cohort of graduate students in a newly implemented advanced holistic nursing (AHN) track, one of only a handful in the nation, and the first in Florida. The increasing popularity of complementary and alternative healing processes represents the insufficiency of a health system of fragmented care and a desire for holistic healing that is beyond mainstream allopathic care. Graduate holistic nurse education equips nurses to explore the commitment needed to advance the evolution of health care. The covered wagon journey is a metaphor for this meaningful participation. Students journaled their experiences as cotravelers in a lone wagon: embarking on a courageous journey, forging a path of discovery, and reaching their destination as pioneers. This cohort experience embodied the central tenets of holistic nursing, thus creating conscious change and unity within a learning community. The future of AHN is addressed in the context of the contemporary health care environment.

A group presentation by nursing students created an opportunity for their classmates to experience firsthand the effects of stereotyping and its impact on the delivery of health care and social services.

This article explores how shared governance and unit-based scheduling/staffing/resource management (SSRM) committees can impact the delivery of labor resources 24/7/365 through knowledgeable workforce budgeting and employee scheduling and daily staffing best practices. Two case study examples are included.

The relationship between shared governance and nursing scholarship is investigated with an emphasis on the connection between stages of scholarly development and nursing action in the evolution of professional practice models. The scholarly image of nursing is described and four critical stages of scholarship (scholarly inquiry, conscious reflection, persistent critique, and intellectual creation) are presented. The development of nursing scholars is described with emphasis on intellectual virtues as described by philosophers and values as described by nursing theorists that are foundational to this process. Shared governance is viewed holistically as a true scholarly process when these elements are in place and are used by nurses.

In an effort to better understand the process of health policy to advocate for increased legislative support for the nurse practitioner (NP) role, the authors attended the Nurse in Washington Internship (NIWI) sponsored by the Nursing Organizations Alliance from March 14–16, 2010. The restrictions on NP practice must be removed if we are to meet the health care needs of the populace. This article is a condensed discussion of the process of health policy.

There is a growing recognition of mind–body connection in our culture. Relationship-based care (RBC) represents a theoretical foundation for the application of the mind–body connection in the clinical setting. This article describes ways to incorporate mind–body and RBC concepts into nursing classroom and clinical experiences.

In the first decade of the twentieth century, a unique experiment in education was begun, fostered, and brought through all the trials of disbelief and indifference to a high level of success. The School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota was the first training center of its kind to be sponsored, anywhere in the world, by an institution of higher learning (Board of Regents, 1908).

This article examines grade inflation in higher education and in nursing education. The factors related to grade inflation and consequences of grade inflation are explored. Actions that address grade inflation and recommendations for future research in nursing education are provided.

In regularly scheduled, informal gatherings of nurses and others who care about the nursing profession, participants find support, encouragement, enlightenment, and hope.

A common complaint heard in many quarters is, “Things are moving so fast that it’s hard to keep up.” A natural response is to narrow our field of expertise to a smaller and smaller sphere. Even then, the rate of knowledge expansion necessitates regular modification; thus, our spheres continue to shrink. What we gain in a semblance of control, we lose in a grasp of the whole. Transdisciplinarity offers an alternative solution to ever-increasing complexity. This article is an exploration of transdisciplinarity and its potential benefits for the profession of nursing.

Only a few of the 102 American military nurses serving in the Pacific in the 1940s had any combat training, experience or expectations, until the surprise attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines put them on the front lines. They learned wartime nursing under fire, treating thousands of casualties at ill-equipped battlefield hospitals. When the Allies surrendered, the 79 remaining nurses were the first U.S. Army women to become prisoners of war, but they refused to relinquish their professional roles and continued to provide nursing care to fellow prisoners throughout their years of captivity. In the book Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived in Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific, Mary Cronk Farrell uses quotes from journals, letters, and oral histories to give voice to the horrific experiences and esprit de corps of these remarkable nurses.

Participating in the seventh U.S.–Russian Nursing Conference Cruise was a unique opportunity for American nurses to interact with nurses from Russia, South Africa, and Australia. In addition to the conference sessions, visiting a hospital and a hospice provided insight into health care in Russia.