Measuring Nursing-Shared Governance

assistant professor, Medical Surgical Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Illinois, Chicago.

About Our Authors

After 6 years of steady decline in enrollments, RN-to-BSN programs experienced an increase in enrollments from 2002 to 2003. Based on findings from a hermeneutic phenomenological study that examined the connection between faculty and students in RN-to-BSN programs, the theme, "Creating a Context that Uncovers New Possibilities," offered insight into how nurse educators can transform the teaching-learning environment to meet the needs of this valuable group of nursing students. This article describes this interpretive study and suggests strategies nurse educators can use to enhance the educational context and create new possibilities that meet RN-to-BSN students' expectations.

Zainab Toteh Osakwe, PhD, MSN, RN, NP is an Assistant Professor, College of Nursing and Public Health, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, New York. The author declares no conflicts of interest. Address for correspondence: Zainab T. Osakwe, College of Nursing and Public Health, Adelphi University, One South Avenue, Garden City, New York, NY 11530 ([email protected]).

Patrice Lee Engle

Contributors

A recent union drive by the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago sparked controversy among academic nurses in the College of Nursing. Background on the union drive and the history of nursing labor organizing is provided to demonstrate the fit of union representation for nurses in all settings today, including academia.

Focus on Authors

Use of a new head holder for obtaining direct sagittal CT images of the TMJ

Culturally appropriate approaches are needed to reduce ethnic disparity in childhood obesity

Frequently, researchers are only interested in specific subgroups of the total population. Waksberg (1978) has designed a two-stage method of selecting equal-probability samples of the general population using random digit dialing. The present research proposes and illustrates a modification of Waksberg's procedure to locate special populations which cluster geographically. Situations arising from the proposed modifications are discussed and alternative solutions suggested.

This article presents information on happenings in several universities. In Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts Professor Henry J. Bornhofft is to be on sabbatical leave this year. Mr. James V. Toner is returning to the department after a year's absence. Mr. Arthur W. Johnson, New York University, has been appointed assistant professor in the department. The following promotions were made in the department: Edward J. Hyland, assistant professor, Charles H. Cornell, assistant professor, Raymond L. Mannix, associate professor. In University of California, Berkeley, California Mr. Paul A. Dodd, associate in economics, will be completing his work for the Ph.D. at Pennsylvania this year. Dr. Lewis A. Maverick is returning as lecturer in economics to assist in the fields of statistics and economic theory. Mr. Ira N. Frisbee was promoted to the rank of officiate professor. In University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois Mr. C.B. Cox, assistant in accounting, is leaving to join the staff of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co., Detroit. Mr. C.B. Larimore, Nebraska and W.H. Stout, Illinois, will be assistants this year. In University of Montana, Missoula, Montana Dean E.C. Line is teaching in the summer session at the University of California. Professor Sanford is doing research work in accounting with the Montana Power Co., making a special study of the federal water power requirements.

In Albuquerque at the 25th anniversary of the annual Division of Early Childhood (DEC) conference, I had the honor of participating with several “emerging” (young) and “seasoned” (shall we say, maturing) scholars in a panel session in memory of J. David Sexton and his contributions to the field of early intervention and early childhood special education. Many intelligent and, perhaps more important (at least in my thinking), motivated doctoral students and young scholars attended the session, entitled “Getting Published: Views From a Panel of Journal Editors and Emerging Scholars” (Beneke et al., 2009). Arranged and chaired by Pat Snyder and Juliann Woods, the session was a proper tribute to David. Sallee Beneke, a doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Marissa Macy, an assistant professor at Lycoming College; Greg Cheatham, an assistant professor at Arizona State University; Mary Louise Hemmeter, an associate editor for JEI; Carla Peterson, the editor of Young Exceptional Children; Sarintha Stricklin, a former managing editor of JEI; and I shared information and experiences with the participants. I believe that we hit the mark with personal insights and recommendations, including several resources that may be helpful to writers— especially, those who aspire to publish in professional journals (e.g., Nihalani & Mayrath, 2008; Thompson, 1995). Moreover, I solicited an explicitly articulated promise by most attendees to read and, one hopes, employ the writing rules delineated by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White (2000) in their “little book,” The Elements of Style (you know who you are!). Reflecting on our DEC session reminded me of two essential professional obligations for scholars and emerging scholars. First, a long-standing and compelling responsibility for scholars—especially, early interventionists and educators—has been to disseminate their efforts to the field in a timely manner. A second scholarly obligation, one I discussed during our DEC presentation, has been to become students of writing by earnestly striving to be better writers. Unfortunately, given my experience as a peer reviewer, associate editor, and editor, I believe that far too many of our colleagues, including some seasoned contemporaries, have failed to consider carefully the importance of a continual-improvement approach to their professional writing. Nevertheless, I was pleased with the attendance and participation at our DEC session, and I hope that by the time I complete my tenure as editor of JEI, many of the participants will be published authors in JEI and other professional journals.

AI’s 10 to Watch, 2022

Thomas R. Knapp, EdD, is a professor of Nursing and Education, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Laura P. Kimble, PhD, RN, is an assistant professor, School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Sandra B. Dunbar, DSN, RN, is a professor, School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Accepted for publication April 30, 1997. The data used in the example in this report were collected in a research project supported by NIH NINR grant R01NR03047, S.B.D., principal investigator. Address reprint requests to Prof. Thomas R. Knapp, College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210.