Understanding both the individualized development of confidence among prelicensure nursing students and the role of the nurse educator in the development of confident nursing practice, nurse educators can assist students in the development of confidence and competency. Future research surrounding the nature and development of confidence/self-confidence in the prelicensure nursing student experiencing human patient simulation sessions would assist to help educators further promote the development of confidence.

Admissions to treatment for heroin abuse have increased in recent years among the adolescent and young adult population, yet few studies have described whether, and to what extent, young heroin users differ from their non heroin-using peers. This exploratory study presents quantitative and qualitative data obtained from lifetime heroin and non heroin-using adolescents and young adults in a long-term, step-down therapeutic community. Self-report data from the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) were obtained from 22 lifetime heroin and 33 non heroin users on admission to residential treatment and 12 months later. Ethnographic interviews (n = 27) were conducted with heroin users at all stages of treatment. Results indicate that lifetime heroin users had greater polysubstance use and lower self-efficacy scores (i.e., confidence to resist relapse) on admission to treatment than non heroin users, and though improved, heroin users' self-efficacy scores remained lower than those of non heroin users at the 12 month follow-up. Ethnographic data suggested that adolescents who had used heroin "hit bottom" before entering treatment and credited treatment with providing the opportunity to change their lives. The overall comparability of treatment outcomes between the heroin and non heroin using groups shows that adolescents and young adult heroin users can achieve similar outcomes in an age-appropriate therapeutic community treatment setting.

Recent discussion in the adolescent treatment community has centered on the therapeutic merits of continuum of care treatment for adolescent and young adult substance abusing populations. However, despite this discussion, few studies to date have actually looked at how adolescents and young adults view continuum of care treatment in practice. In this paper a continuum of care offered within a single treatment approach will be addressed from the perspectives of youths participating in treatment at a three year step-down therapeutic community program with four distinct levels of care: residential treatment, intensive day treatment, day treatment with work/school release, and ambulatory meetings. Adolescents and young adults attending this program must complete all four levels of care before they are eligible for program graduation. Data from 53 qualitative semistructured and open-ended interviews (conducted with 45 adolescents and young adults) indicate that treatment experiences were marked by significant program transition points, during which clients stepped down from one level of care to another. Adolescents and young adults reported experiencing distress at and during these transition points. However, they also indicated that overall emotional and psychological stress was minimized due to the following: (1) these transitions were experienced within a single program structure, (2) youths transitioned through a continuum of care with program peers and friends, and (3) the program staff was perceived by adolescents and young adults to be compassionate and encouraging.