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The aim of this article is to discuss a portfolio of interventions used to improve student outcomes in an accredited southeastern university's baccalaureate nursing program. Faculty identified three specific student-focused issues challenging student learning: (a) a steady trend of increasing student enrollment, (b) increased difficulty level of the national licensure exam, and (c) lack of a structured remediation/mentoring process to improve student skills. Increasing student enrollment challenged faculty to explore teaching strategies designed for larger class sizes, to maximize teaching effectiveness, and to use standardized exam results to inform curricular changes. A Learning Improvement Team (LIT) was strategically formed with university resources; The Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (BC), the Office of Academic Assessment (OAA), and the School of Nursing. Faculty, particularly junior-level, are taking the lead role in implementing pivotal changes in courses. Strategies include student learning outcomes improvement efforts as a departmental goal and expectation, dashboard communication for data-based curricular decisions, faculty workshops spotlighting successful classroom strategies, and interdisciplinary university partnerships. Lessons learned included recognition of the need for congruent faculty role expectations and workload, as well as awareness of the critical role of institutional support and collaboration. This successful partnership positively impacted nursing faculty, transformed departmental culture, and improved student outcomes.

This article describes a collaborative learning activity between students and nurse managers to develop a student's professional role.

This article describes pedagogical teaching and learning strategies that facilitate transformative learning for RN-BSN students in the online program.

There are little data regarding Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) roles in long-term care settings and how the roles might be expanded or changed to meet the unique needs of the elderly. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to determine if an increase in knowledge occurred in LPN care providers after implementation of a 32-hour education program. The program was delivered in 8 self-contained learning modules to a convenience sample of 15 LPNs working in 2 rural long-term care settings. There were significant statistical differences in pre- and post-test scores for 3 of the learning modules. Written comments on an evaluation survey of participants indicated knowledge had been broadened. An open-ended questionnaire completed by the 2 directors of nursing 6 weeks postcompletion of the program indicated improvement in the participant's basic leadership and management skills. (Contains 2 tables.)

The article focuses on relationship between moral distress and job satisfaction among nurses including high turnover rates among nursing workforce, shortage of qualified nurses in healthcare institutions and creation of an ethical work environment for having a stable workforce of nurses.

The article focuses on the forces each individual nurse will want to consider in obtaining the power needed to practice in an ethical manner. Accordingly, the forces include nursing knowledge and skills, good relationships with patients and the health care team, and the communication skills to nurture these relationships. The author encourages nurses to develop a systematic plan to strengthen the forces for influencing patient's care through sound decisions by the team.

Nurse educators are continually challenged to develop and implement effective activities to stimulate reflective learning in the RN to BSN student. The authors discuss the successful use of the feature film My Life as a reflective learning activity for a family health systems course.While feature films have been used constructively to teach family systems and social development, there is scant literature on the use of feature film as a teaching strategy within the discipline of nursing. The authors present evidence of how a film promoted stimulating and powerful transformative learning.