Endicott College

This article emphasizes the need for enhanced leadership development across all levels of nursing education, particularly focusing on social change and health equity. While leadership is a core nursing competency, many programs offer limited or late-stage preparation. We review current approaches to leadership development and advocate for embedding leveled competencies throughout nursing curricula using the Social Action, Leadership, and Transformation (SALT) model as a framework to cultivate empathy, critical consciousness, justice, and community engagement. The SALT model supports the development of nurses capable of leading transformative changes in health care systems. It aligns with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials and other established frameworks. By incorporating the SALT model, nursing programs can better prepare graduates to address systemic health inequities and promote social change. The article calls on nurse educators to adopt this model to ensure leadership education is purposeful, equitable, and action-oriented.

Pain is a common symptom among individuals living with multiple sclerosis (MS). Exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH), a reduction in pain sensitivity following resistance exercise, typically requires high loads. Blood flow restriction (BFR) training may offer a lower-load alternative to elicit EIH. This investigation aimed to assess EIH responses following resistance exercise with and without BFR in individuals with MS. 15 participants diagnosed with MS completed three exercise sessions consisting of isotonic, unilateral leg extensions with the current exercise recommendation (high-load, 70% of 1RM), low-load BFR (LL + BFR, 30% of 1RM with BFR), or low-loads (30% of 1RM without BFR). Pain pressure threshold ("uncomfortable") and tolerance ("painful") of the rectus femoris were assessed before and after each exercise session. After each exercise set, participants rated their pain (0-10) which was used for mediation analyses. Participants completed similar exercise volume (high-load = 3056.0 ± 728.2kg; low-load = 3208.3 ± 1041.5kg) but pain pressure threshold was greater (p = 0.012-0.025) following LL + BFR (1.04 ± 0.97 Δkgf) compared to high-load (0.37 ± 0.70 Δkgf) and low-load exercise (0.28 ± 0.69 Δkgf). Pain pressure tolerance was greater (p = 0.015) following LL + BFR (1.41 ± 1.01 Δkgf) compared to low-load exercise (0.23 ± 1.69 Δkgf). Peak pain was greater (p = 0.004-0.030) during LL + BFR (4.3 ± 2.9 au) compared to high-load (1.6 ± 1.7 au) and low-load (2.3 ± 2.4 au) exercise but was not a significant mediator of the EIH response. LL + BFR elicited a local EIH response compared to the current exercise recommendation (high-load) and low-load resistance exercise. These findings suggest that LL + BFR may be an potent exercise intervention to acutely alter pain sensitivity in patients with MS.

Despite extensive research demonstrating the positive effects of inclusive education for students with extensive support needs (ESN), rates of full inclusion for this population remain low. Key components of successful inclusion include leadership that is committed to inclusive pedagogy and a shared vision by school personnel, families, and community members. However, the extent to which these components are fostered and maintained in schools and districts remains uneven and a challenge. To learn from an affirming example, this qualitative study examined definitions of inclusion by families ( n = 11) and school personnel ( n = 11) at Tomorrow’s Leadership Collaborative, a public charter school (PK–6) whose mission is full, equitable inclusion for all, including those with ESN, multilingual learners, and those with multiply-marginalized identities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and the inductive thematic analysis focused specifically on participants’ definitions of inclusion. Using Danforth and Naraian’s Foundational Priorities for Inclusive Education as a framework for authentic inclusion, the findings demonstrate a streamlined, viable vision for inclusive pedagogy, environments, values, and belongingness for all learners. Participants conveyed a shared vision for inclusion that was contextually broader than technical definitions focusing only on disability and placement. Implications for systems and policy change regarding inclusion of students with ESN are discussed.

Low-load blood flow restricted (LLBFR) resistance exercise has been demonstrated to accelerate acute muscle fatigue, but these responses may be dependent upon the protocol used. The purpose of this investigation was to examine fatigue characteristics following acute LLBFR resistance exercise with a 75-repetition (75-rep; 1 × 30, 3 × 15), 3 sets to failure (3×), and 1 set to failure (1×) protocols. Sixteen women randomly performed 75-rep, 3× , and 1× LLBFR protocols consisting of unilateral, submaximal (30% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction; [MVIC]), isokinetic (90°·s-1), leg extension muscle actions. Separate two-way, 3 (Condition [75-rep, 3× , 1×]) × 2 (Time [Pretest, Posttest]), repeated-measure ANOVA models were used to examine MVIC, peak twitch torque (PTT), surface electromyography amplitude (sEMG AMP), voluntary activation (VA), and Vwave/Mwave ratio. There were no significant (p = 0.516-0.984) interactions for any of the fatigue characteristics. Collapsed across Conditions however, MVIC torque (21.1%), PTT (11.0%), sEMG AMP (1.9%), and VA (4.6%) decreased across Time (p < 0.001-0.011). There was no change in Vwave /Mwave ratio (p = 0.639-0.822). Despite differences in set and repetition schemes, all three LLBFR protocols induced comparable decreases in MVIC torque, PTT, sEMG AMP, and VA. The current results highlight the potential efficacy of a single set of LLBFR performed to volitional failure to provoke fatigue responses comparable to multiple set protocols.