Increased use of online delivery for nursing education necessitates course designs that promote student interaction and foster community. Teaching and learning practices that include technologies and are supported by theoretical constructs promote best practices for online instruction. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(4):245-249.].

Background: Contemporary teaching and learning pedagogy commands interprofessional collaboration among allied professions such as nursing and social work, two professions that have a natural inclination to partner in the workforce. Method: Nursing and social work students participated in a structured simulated learning experience where they demonstrated their respective professional practice skills in a supported learning environment while working collaboratively to assess one of two patient types: high-fidelity or simulated. Results: Both groups expressed initial worry during prebriefing but articulated their appreciation for and usefulness of working with the other profession. Future collaboration includes learning about respective professional roles, more direction regarding the professional handoff, and prior exposure to the appearance and functionality of high-fidelity patient types in an effort to establish best strategies for partnership. Conclusion: Interprofessional collaboration diverges from the silo effect, leading to collegiality among affiliated professionals, as well as increased patient safety and improved patient outcomes. [ J Nurs Educ . 2019;58(2):110–113.]

Schools are seeing an influx of disruptive behaviors related to an increase in emotional and behavioral issues. In the adolescent population, emotional and behavioral problems are manifested in a variety of forms and often result in some form of discipline within the school setting. Although discipline punishes the unwanted behavior, it does nothing to address the reason for the behavior. This study examined the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems among middle school students who have been suspended. Students who are suspended are the very children at risk for social, emotional, and mental health problems. Results from the study indicate significance in some of the 14 subcategories of the Student Behavior Survey tool, lending support toward the conclusion that emotional and behavioral problems may be associated with suspensions. Advocating for assessment of emotional and behavioral needs should be considered for students with discipline problems that lead to suspension.

Cultural competence is not limited to ethnicity, religion, or race but is inclusive of vulnerable groups, such as the homeless. The complex health and social issues related to homelessness requires educational instruction that supports students' ability to address and care for the multidimensional elements that surround this group. Exposure to homeless populations provides nursing students with increased awareness of the issues related to health disparities, while promoting introspective reflection on one's values and beliefs. To increase student exposure to working with homeless clients, a service-learning project using a critical social theory (CST) lens was offered at a homeless center. The students' response that clients were "just like" them, coupled with ambiguity regarding the complex social-economic-political issues surrounding the homeless, may indicate a need for further education regarding cultural understanding, sensitivity, and vulnerability. This project demonstrates the need for learning experiences that support advocacy and social responsibility for vulnerable groups.

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine student nurses' perceptions of diverse population, as experienced through their clinical environments in nursing school. Student nurses will encounter diverse populations in practice; nursing education must critically address how students are being prepared to care for diverse populations and the strategies that assist students to be successful in caring for those with different values and beliefs than themselves. Methods: Denzin's Interpretive Interactionism was used to elicit meaning from eight senior level nursing students from a baccalaureate nursing program. Results: Commonality in students' stories was expressed through their experiences where three themes emerged: unprepared for cultural diversity, care should be personalized, and moral challenges. Conclusion: Responses from students in this study indicate that their acquisition of knowledge was not sufficient to engender understanding of the network of concepts inherent in cultural diversity. Stories indicate classroom and clinical experiences were not sufficient for student nurses to care for diverse populations with confidence in their abilities.

Introduction/Background: Moral distress and related concepts surrounding morality and ethical decision-making have been given much attention in nursing. Despite the general consensus that moral distress is an affective response to being unable to act morally, the literature attests to the need for increased clarity regarding theoretical and conceptual constructs used to describe precisely what the experience of moral distress involves. The purpose of this study is to understand how student nurses experience morally distressing situations when caring for patients with different values and beliefs than their own in the clinical environment Methods: This study is based on secondary analysis of participant data. The stories of eight student nurses who completed the original study were reviewed following Yin's multiple-case study design. Results: Findings suggest there is a subtle form of moral distress that has been under appreciated in the literature and differs from Jameton's classic definition. While traditional institutional triggers to moral distress are pervasive, personal conflict as a result of differing value systems may be a moral challenge faced by nursing students working with culturally diverse patients. Conclusion: Ethics education is needed in nursing school to reduce moral distress in the clinical environment. Nursing students need opportunities to develop moral reasoning skills in addition to their clinical skills. A philosophical approach to ethics education may be needed to prevent and alleviate moral distress.

Schools of nursing are challenged to find clinical placements in public health settings. Use of simulation can address situations unique to public health, with attention to specific concerns, such as environmental health. Environmental health is an integral part of public health nursing and is a standard of professional practice. Current simulations focus on acute care situations, offering limited scenarios with a public health perspective and excluding environmental health. This study's simulation scenario was created to enhance nursing students' understanding of public health concepts within an environmental health context. Outcomes from the simulation include the need for integration of environmental issues in public health teaching. Students stated that this scenario provided a broader understanding of the environmental influences that can affect the client's and family's health. This scenario fills a void in simulation content, while providing an interactive teaching and learning strategy to help students to apply knowledge to practice.

Schools are seeing an influx of disruptive behaviors related to an increase in emotional and behavioral issues. In the adolescent population, emotional and behavioral problems are manifested in a variety of forms and often result in some form of discipline within the school setting. Although discipline punishes the unwanted behavior, it does nothing to address the reason for the behavior. This study examined the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems among middle school students who have been suspended. Students who are suspended are the very children at risk for social, emotional, and mental health problems. Results from the study indicate significance in some of the 14 subcategories of the Student Behavior Survey tool, lending support toward the conclusion that emotional and behavioral problems may be associated with suspensions. Advocating for assessment of emotional and behavioral needs should be considered for students with discipline problems that lead to suspension.