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A longitudinal descriptive design was used to examine nursing students' dispositions toward critical thinking as they progressed from the Sophomore II to Senior II semester in a baccalaureate nursing program in the midwestern United States. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) was distributed during week 10 in the Sophomore II, Junior I, Junior II, Senior I, and Senior II semesters. Significantly higher CCTDI scores were achieved in the Junior I and Junior II semesters, but no significant differences were found when comparing the Sophomore II and Senior II semesters. No relationship was found between passing the NCLEX-RN ® , standardized test scores, and CCTDI scores.

A strategic approach is crucial to eliminating SC and integrating EBP. This report calls nurses globally to action, to identify and abandon ineffective healthcare practices. Further research should compare and test the efficacy of implementation strategies, in particular how to sustain EBP in clinical settings.

Today, faculty members are challenged to find meaningful learning activities that enhance online nursing education. Second Life is an innovative Internet-based strategy that may be used to engage students in active learning. The authors discuss how this technology was implemented into an accelerated online nursing program.

Childbirth in different cultures is treated as a traumatic life crisis and a time of vulnerability for the mother and infant. This qualitative descriptive study explored specific concerns related to pregnancy and childbirth in 52 Hmong women living in central and northeastern Wisconsin. Women were questioned using a semistructured interview about 4.6 months after childbirth. They described concerns related to breastfeeding, contraception, touch, communication with health caregivers, and procedures performed during childbirth. Women preferred bottle-feeding over breastfeeding. They reported difficulty practicing birth control because of cultural expectations of male and female roles, but were aware of the need for education about methods of contraception. Fear of miscarriage if they were touched by doctors and nurses resulted in delayed prenatal visits. The women believed that invasive procedures such as episiotomies and circumcisions are not natural, and they preferred natural tearing and healing. It is important for health caregivers to be culturally sensitive and understanding of Hmong practices and beliefs when touching and communicating with these women and when educating them about breastfeeding, contraception, and medical procedures during hospitalization.