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The findings gathered from the Northern Iranian Central Desert (NICD) over the past two decades suggest the significance of the region during the Pleistocene, indicating that different and fluctuating environmental conditions governed the region in the past, contrary to the hot and dry conditions of today. From an archaeological perspective, this means that human populations might have been able to live here during milder times. Based on this assumption and the escalating number of Paleolithic localities, the hypothesis of considering the NICD as a significant Pleistocene dispersal corridor was put forward. However, the available information regarding the Pleistocene human populations in the region was limited only to its eastern and western parts. Up until recently, the Pleistocene "plain dwellers" in the more central parts of the NICD (corresponding to the modern-day Alborz, Tehran, and western Semnan provinces) were not known to us. The picture took a turn when Showr-e Qazi, a paleolithic surface lithic scatter, located about 18km southwest of Eyvanekey, came to light. Following this discovery, the authors embarked on a comprehensive investigation of Eyvanekey. Doing so, a systematic intensive pedestrian field survey was conducted in the vicinity of Eyvanekey County to tackle questions regarding the role of the central parts of the NICD for the dispersal of Pleistocene human populations and the degree of connectivity and relatedness of the landscapes, and resultantly, strengthening or weakening the mentioned hypothesis. As a result, extensive Paleolithic surface scatters were recorded using a combined method of proportionate stratified random and adaptive sampling. The lithic assemblage from Boulan, one of these scatters, has been examined here using techno-typological approach. The preliminary results suggest Middle and Upper Paleolithic affinities. In addition, in general terms, the lithic tradition in Boulan is geared toward the expedient and opportunistic end of the spectrum. Lastly, the discovery of extensive Paleolithic localities in the central parts of the NICD provides additional support for the hypothesis of a Northern dispersal corridor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Undergraduate nursing students often work part-time or even full-time while studying at university completing their bachelor's degrees. The aim of this study is to explain the meaning of the lived experiences of nursing students working as students in clinical field. Methods: A phenomenological study was conducted at the nursing and midwifery school of Tabriz, Iran. Purposefully, 20 baccalaureate nursing students with experience working as student worker nurses were recruited. The sample size was determined according to data saturation. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were held with the participants over 3 months (April 2020 to June 2020), and Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to analyze the data. Results: Five main themes extracted from the data analysis, including "students' clinical competency", "nurse-student relationships", "shift work", "mislearning", and "chaotic wards". A further 12 sub-themes extracted under the five main themes. Conclusion: The work of nursing students in clinical environments as student worker nurses is a two-dimensional phenomenon with advantages and disadvantages. The benefits are improving the nursing students' clinical and communication skills, increasing their self-confidence, learning and practicing discipline and nursing responsibilities, and the disadvantages are facing reality shock stress, and mislearning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nursing students are given opportunities to develop critical thinking disposition, caring behaviors, and professional commitment through clinical training. Therefore, nurse educators should move away from traditional methods toward new ones, such as internship programs in clinical training. This study assessed the effect of nursing internship programs on senior undergraduate nursing students' critical thinking disposition, caring behaviors, and professional commitment. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pretest-posttest design but with no control group. The study sample included 46 senior students enrolled in nursing internship programs. A demographic questionnaire, the Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI), the Caring Assessment Report Evaluation (Care-Q), and the Nursing Professional Commitment Scale (NPCS) were used to collect data before and five months after the nursing internship programs were implemented. Results: The study findings revealed that the senior nursing students' caring behaviors improved, but the total scores of critical thinking disposition and professional commitment did not change significantly after the nursing internship programs (p > 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, nurse educators are recommended to adopt strategies to improve the effectiveness of internship programs on critical thinking disposition and professional commitment among senior undergraduate nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Clinical education is a fundamental part of nursing professional education. One method of education is the implementation of the preceptorship program, in which clinical nurses are responsible for educating nursing students. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the preceptorship training program for the participation of clinical nurses in the education of nursing students. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2023 at the teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran. The sample consisted of 66 nurses from a teaching hospital selected using the accessible method and randomly were put into two groups. The workshop addressed the educational needs of preceptors and students, their readiness for their role, and strategies to effectively support students. Prior to the study, the nurses' level of participation was assessed utilizing a valid IMSOC questionnaire that gauged their involvement in guiding nursing students. The participation rate was reassessed after one month using the same questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 19. Findings: The two groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic characteristics. The average score for nurses' participation in the education of students before the intervention was 101.84 ± 15.42 in the test group and 107.24 ± 10.53 in the control group; these two groups were not significantly different (P = 0.10). After the intervention, the scores reached 118.90 ± 15.11 in the test group and 106.21 ± 11.96 in the control group, indicating a significant difference (P < 0.001). A comparison of the nurses' participation scores in the test group indicated a significant difference from the pretest to the posttest, with the improvement in all nurses's participation scores (P < 0.001). However, in the control group, this difference was not significant (P = 0.41). Conclusion: The preceptorship training program is effective in light of increasing the participation of clinical nurses in the education of nursing students. This program can improve various aspects, such as motivation, satisfaction, commitment, implementation, and obstacle removal. Considering the importance of clinical training for nursing students and the essential role of preceptors, it is recommended that managers and health trustees in all university hospitals implement a preceptorship training program to increase the participation of clinical nurses in the education of nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The emergence of Covid-19 has many psychological effects on teenagers, one of which is depression, anxiety and stress, and it has brought physical and psychological effects. Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depression in students of Sanandaj city during the epidemic of the Covid-19 virus in 1401. Method: This study was conducted in a cross-sectional descriptive analytical way. The studied population included all middle school students of Sanandaj city in 1401 with a sample size of 270 people and an age range of 13-15 years. DASS-21 questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was analyzed using SPSS-24 software. Results: The results of the study showed that the average scores of depression, anxiety and stress were 14.68 ± 3.39, 14.56 ± 2.99 and 14.74 ± 2.989, respectively. There is a significant relationship between the mean score of depression, anxiety and stress with sleep time, duration of daily activity and body mass index (P<0.05). Also, there is a statistically significant relationship between gender, history of covid-19 in the student and their family, having daily activities and economic status with the average score of depression, anxiety, stress (P>0.05). Conclusion: The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic causes anxiety, depression and stress in students. This phenomenon is intensified when children are confined at home and do not have outdoor activities. As the spread of covid-19 increases, the level of anxiety, stress and depression also increases. Therefore, increasing public awareness of this disease and providing positive psychological programs can reduce anxiety in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Clinical environments create unpredictable conditions that affect the professional excellence of learners. This study aimed to explore and elucidate the lived experiences of clinical lecturers in creating a supportive learning environment necessary for developing the professional identity of medical students. Methods. To conduct this qualitative study, a conventional content analysis approach was adopted. The data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with clinical instructors and students of medical sciences, which continued until data saturation was reached. Four criteria of credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability were adopted to maintain the study's trustworthiness, and MAXQDA 10 software was used for data management. The interviews were analyzed employing the content analysis method. Results. Three themes were extracted and listed under the headings of "Clinical Professor as an architect of a learning environment", "creating a supportive atmosphere", and "a holistic view of the education process and students' needs" based on the results from the interview analyses. Conclusion. Clinical educators may pay special attention to the students' needs and provide them with appropriate learning opportunities to shape their professional identity, show their respect for professional values by creating a supportive atmosphere, concentrate their attention on different human dimensions, and show their respect for the principles of conduct and professional obligations. Clinical educators, as professional advisors and role models, may have also helped the students improve their metacognitive skills and enhance their professional competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nursing interns often face the serious challenges and stress of clinical training. Identifying effective strategies in reducing medical errors can improve student performance and decrease patient risk and injury from errors. The purpose of this study was to identify strategies to prevent medical errors by nursing interns in Medical Universities in Sistan and Baluchistan, Southeast of Iran. Methods: This is a qualitative study using a content analysis approach. Purposive sampling was used. The study was conducted in 3 medical universities. Ten nursing interns participated in this study. Open-ended, semi-structured, and face-to-face, interviews were used to explore the experience of nursing interns about strategies to prevent medical errors during their internship. Results: Findings include 20 subcategories, 6 categories and one theme. The main theme is "strategies to prevent medical errors during internship". Six categories included "strategies to prevent medical errors during internship". These included "Professional acceptance and support", "Revision of the implementation of the educational curriculum", "Retraining courses for challenging skills", "Creating learning opportunities" "Professionalization", and "Facilities and requirements". Conclusions: Preventing medical errors requires different strategies before and during nursing internship. Error prevention strategies include retraining and preparatory courses for challenging areas, evaluation of students' performance, and accepting students as members of the health care team, respecting and supporting them and protecting their rights. Learning from medical errors, analysis and reflection on errors should be part of the curriculum during the internship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]