Iowa Board of Nursing Annual Report, July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007

The annual report of the Iowa Board of Nursing includes information on legislation, administrative rules, nursing education, nursing practice, continuing education, licensing, enforcement, administration, financial report, statistics and general nursing demographics.

Iowa Board of Nursing Annual Report, July 1, 2007-June 30, 2008

The annual report of the Iowa Board of Nursing includes information on legislation, administrative rules, nursing education, nursing practice, continuing education, licensing, enforcement, administration, financial report, statistics and general nursing demographics.

Audit report on the Northeast Iowa Schools Insurance Trust for the year ended June 30, 2008

Audit report on the Northeast Iowa Schools Insurance Trust for the year ended June 30, 2008

L'Evidence-based nursing, un levier au changement des pratiques infirmières [Evidence-based nursing, a driver for change in nursing practice].

A urology nursing team examined its perioperative practices in the light of scientific data and implemented updated care practices adapted to this context.This experience favours the development of skills essential for interdisciplinary collaboration drawing on the resources of each profession, to work towards a common goal for the benefit of the patient.

Iowa Board of Nursing Annual Report, July 1, 2008-June 30, 2009

The annual report of the Iowa Board of Nursing includes information on legislation, administrative rules, nursing education, nursing practice, continuing education, licensing, enforcement, administration, financial report, statistics and general nursing demographics.

Audit report on the Northeast Iowa Schools Insurance Trust for the year ended June 30, 2009

Audit report on the Northeast Iowa Schools Insurance Trust for the year ended June 30, 2009

Literature review on advance care planning of nursing home residents

Aim: Conduct a search and analytic review of literature regarding attributes of Advance Care Planning (ACP) and Advance Directive in order to identify the experiences and the best care strategies for older adults resident in nursing homes or long term institutions. Methodology: An extensive electronic search was undertaken in the following databases: Pubmed (via Ovid search), Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL, via EBHOST), psychINFO and Cochrane. After analyzing and eliminating duplicates and professional's point of view (19), 144 titles were considered relevant: 28 opinion papers, 94 descriptive/qualitative studies or predictive studies, 17 experimental and five systematic reviews. Most of them were produced in North America and only 10 were in French. Results: With regard to European experiences, studies are scarce and further research could benefit from North American evidence. Contrary to Europe, nurses in North America play a major role in the process of care planning. The major findings were related to the poor efficacy of the completion of Advance Directives, even in presence of a substantial variety of implementation strategies. The evidence supports interventions that conceptualize ACP as a process, with an emphasis on the ascertainment of patients' values and beliefs and the necessity to include the family or loved ones from the beginning of the process in order to favor the expression and sharing of one's life perspectives and priorities in care. The most relevant findings were associated with the conceptualization of the ACP as a change in health behaviors which needs an involvement in different stages to overcome a variety of barriers. Conclusion: Rigorous research in ACP for the older adults in Swiss nursing homes that promote respect and dignity in this frail population is needed. How to best achieve patients and families goals should be the focus of nursing intervention and research in this domain.

Iowa Board of Nursing Annual Report FY 10 (7/1/09 - 6/30/20)

The Iowa Bord of Nursing Annual Report includes information on legislation, rule changes and statistics related to all aspects of board business: licensing, education, continuing education, enforcement, administrative changes, financial report, general nursing demographics.

Addressing elementary school teachers' professional stressors: Practical suggestions for schools and adminstrators

Purpose: Given the preponderance of education reform since the No Child Left Behind Act (U.S. Department of Education, 2001), reform efforts have shaped the nature of the work and culture in schools. The emphasis on standardized testing to determine schools' status and student performance, among other factors, has generated stress, particularly for teachers. Therefore, district and school administrators are encouraged to consider the contextual factors that contribute to teacher stress to address them and to retain high-performing teachers. Research Methods/Approach: Participants were recruited from two types of schools in order to test hypotheses related to directional responding as a function of working in a more challenging (high-priority) or less challenging (non-high-priority) school environment. We employed content analysis to analyze 64 suburban elementary school teachers' free-responses to a prompt regarding their stress as teachers. We cross-analyzed our findings through external auditing to bolster trustworthiness in the data and in the procedure. Findings: Teachers reported personal and contextual stressors. Herein, we reported concrete examples of the five categories of contextual stressors teachers identified: political and educational structures, instructional factors, student factors, parent and family factors, and school climate. We found directional qualities and overlapping relationships in the data, partially confirming our hypotheses. Implications for Research and Practice: We offer specific recommendations for practical ways in which school administrators might systemically address teacher stress based on the five categories of stressors reported by participants. We also suggest means of conducting action research to measure the effects of implemented suggestions.

Vision suisse romande de la pratique infirmière avancée [Advanced nursing practice: vision in Switzerland].

To meet the challenges related to the development of health problems taking into account the development of knowledge, several innovations in care are being implemented. Among these, advanced nursing roles and increased interprofessional collaboration are considered as important features in Switzerland. Although the international literature provides benchmarks for advanced roles, it was considered essential to contextualize these in order to promote their application value in Switzerland. Thus, from 79 statements drawn from the literature, 172 participants involved in a two-sequential phases study only kept 29 statements because they considered they were relevant, important and applicable in daily practice. However, it is important to point out that statements which have not been selected at this stage to describe advanced practice cannot be considered irrelevant permanently. Indeed, given the emergence of advanced practice in western Switzerland, it is possible that a statement judged not so relevant at this moment of the development of advanced practice, will be considered as such later on. The master's program in nursing embedded at the University of Lausanne and the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland was also examined in the light of these statements. It was concluded that all the objectives of the program are aligned with the competencies statements that were kept.

Audit report on the Northeast Iowa Schools Insurance Trust for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on the Northeast Iowa Schools Insurance Trust for the year ended June 30, 2010

Rising to Greatness An Imperative for Improving Iowa’s Schools, 2011

In the early 1990s, the Cold War ended, Back to the Future III was in theaters, and Iowa led the nation in reading and mathematics. Times have changed. A decade into the 21st century, Iowa has conceded its place at the top. During the past 20 years, achievement trends illustrate Iowa’s slide from a national leader in PK-12 education to a national average―sometimes below average―performer as other states (and nations) have accelerated past the state. Iowa students’ futures are at risk. Collectively, Iowa students are not hitting the mark in mathematics and reading competency. Sure, Iowa has its share of super-achievers. But the mass of Iowa students—not just underprivileged or minority students, but many of the majority white, relatively affluent students as well—are falling short of what is needed to attain quality jobs, growing incomes, and secure livelihoods in today’s globally competitive world. The world has moved beyond the industrial age and information age and is now in the innovation age. Students must be armed not only with knowledge, but also with skills and insights needed to critically analyze and innovate. The pressing problems and grand opportunities the world faces require that many more people contribute as innovators and problem solvers, not order takers and implementers. Innovators will prosper. Order takers will stagnate. The days of an abundance of low-skill jobs have come to an end.

One Unshakable Vision: World Class Schools for Iowa, October 3, 2011

Iowans have long shared a deep commitment to giving our children the best education possible. We recognize young people today must meet higher expectations than ever to thrive in this global, knowledge-based economy. For the sake of our children and our state, it is vitally important that we build on our tradition of excellence to improve our schools. Iowa’s house of education still has a strong foundation, but it is also in need of a major remodel to be ready for the days ahead.