Less is known about the undergraduate nursing students’ ability to conduct beginning research. This study aims to explore and describe nursing students' experiences in planning and implementation of community health fairs; and utilizing evidence based practice integrated with research as a learning outcome. The study using a quantitative and descriptive design was conducted by senior nursing students during diverse community health events as a part of Gerontological nursing clinical. The students utilized three fall assessment tools: Balance and Gait test, Timed Up and Go test, and 10-year Fracture Risk Calculation. A total of 74 students participated in seven community health fair events focused on Fall Prevention. This health fair event was in conjunction with the National Fall Prevention Awareness week. A total of 201 older adults were served during the event by nursing students who provided screening process and related health education. Data were gathered and a group of students volunteered to complete the research process. The students participated in oral presentation in the Annual University Research Student Symposium and had poster presentation in the professional academic conference. Early systematic organized planning of the clinical experience gives students opportunity to integrate evidence based practice into research. Application of varied evidence based assessment tools focused on older adults enables students to understand the health issue in depth and the need for additional services. Health fair experiences improve students’ communication and education skills, reality of health issues of the target population in a community, and evidence based research.

Objective: The aim is to examine and compare the level of health literacy (HL) amongst surgical vascular and abdominal patients and measuring the understandability and actionability of current and optimized education materials.Methods: A cross-sectional design was utilized. Patients undergoing abdominal or vascular surgery, were included for measuring HL with the Newest Vital Sign Dutch (NVS-d) tool. The Dutch version of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) was used to measure the understandability and actionability of current and optimized patient education materials.Results: A total of 101 patients were included, of those 54 (53.5%) have limited HL. Patients with limited HL were significantly older (p < .001), lower educated (p < .001), and had a higher ASA status (p = .005) and Charlson Comorbidity Index score (p < .001). The occurrence of limited HL differed significantly (p = .046) between abdominal versus vascular patients. The understandability varied between 24%-59% and the actionability between 40%-67% of the current education materials. The optimized education materials had a understandability score of 86% and a actionability score of 100%.Conclusions: The high prevalence of inadequate HL emphasizes the importance of nursing and medical staff providing clear information to enable shared decision-making. Besides, it is necessary to evaluate current education materials and optimize these materials according to the level of health literacy to provide health information that is understandable.

Problem/Significance: Nurses may not be required to engage in professional development; however professional development has been identified as a factor to improve leadership competence, confidence, decision making, and clinical practice. Specifically, nurses who participate in professional development education improve their leadership characteristics. This study will evaluate the leadership behaviors of frontline nurses participating in professional development compared to those who were not.Methods: A convenience sample of 248 staff nurses employed in the North East region of the United States responded to the descriptive observational study design. The subjective responses to the Leadership Practice Inventory® (LPI) and demographic variables were analyzed.Results: Clinical ladder nurses scored higher on all subscales of the LPI than did nurses not on the clinical ladder. Unit-based clinical champions scored highest on the LPI regardless of the clinical ladder level or participation.Conclusions: Professional development in the form of education, certification, preceptor programs, leadership development clinical ladder programs, and unit-based champions should be considered in order to improve patient outcomes.

Direct observation of procedural skills is an evidence-based assessment tool used for assessing competence in the practical procedures that nursing students undertake during clinical placement. Having knowledge about students’ satisfaction with their educational issues is very important as it helps both faculty and students to achieve educational goals. However factors that may influence student satisfaction with this method of assessment are not known in the school of nursing sciences at the University of Zambia. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing student satisfaction with direct observation of procedural skills in order to get students views on this assessment tool. A cross sectional quantitative survey was used on ninety two (92) conveniently sampled final year undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected using a validated self-reported questionnaire and analysed using IBM SPSS Version 20. Fisher’s exact tests were used to determine association between student satisfaction and the independent variables. A p-value of ≤ .05 was considered statistically significant. Major findings revealed that poor clinical environment 98.9% and faculty non availability 98% influenced student’s satisfaction negatively. Other significant associations where clinical experiences, and feedback, with p ≤ .05. In conclusion, the major factors that influenced student satisfaction included poor clinical environment which was not conducive for assessments as it lacked many essential medical surgical supplies and non-availability of faculty in the clinical area who were needed to provide feedback, guidance and supervision to the students. Improving the clinical environment, ensuring faculty availability in order to provide timely and constructive feedback may help students achieve their learning objectives. Direct observation of procedural skills still remains an appropriate tool to assess student clinical competence. However, further research and development of cheap, less stressful and economic methods of clinical evaluation to blend with this tool is required in the school of nursing sciences.

Background and objective: Chronic pain is a common symptom among patients worldwide. This issue leads health care professionals to manage patients’ chronic pain by using opioids. However, some patients tend to abuse these medications and develop opioid use disorder. The aim of the study was to identify and explore factors that influence nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward patients in chronic pain with opioid use disorder.Methods: A literature review was conducted. CINAHL, Medline, and PsychINFO databases were used to search for relevant articles. A total of 12 articles that met the inclusion criteria were retrieved.Results: This literature review showed several factors that influence nurses’ knowledge and attitudes. These factors were nurses’ education, role support, demographic factors, nurses’ experiences, and nurses’ beliefs and culture.Conclusions: The findings of this literature review will inform the development of an educational program to promote nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward patients in chronic pain with opioid use disorder.

Background: This present research was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a clinical simulation where senior nursing students cared for a standardized patient with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The goal of the simulation was to teach the nursing students how to work with children with autism. In addition, the study aimed to determine if individual differences in personality affect students’ abilities to complete the simulation and how a student’s personality may affect their perceptions of the simulation. Projected outcomes included learning the use of appropriate communication strategies, improved assessment skills, prioritization of care, development of problem-solving skills, and decision-making abilities when dealing with children with ASD.Methods: Simulations are verified as effective training mechanisms to increase students’ self-efficacy in multiple nursing settings. Therefore, seventy-five senior baccalaureate nursing students completed the standardized patient simulation for care of an individual with ASD. The effect on the students’ self-efficacy was measured using the Occupational and Academic Self-Efficacy for Nursing Measure, the IPEP-NEO short form, and an ASD simulation study questionnaire.Results and conclusions: Logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between personality measures and experience with ASD. The higher the openness and extraversion scores the more likely respondents were to disclose positive benefits in relation to expectations, communication strategies, teamwork, and reflection.