Nursing

This Mason Nurse makes an impact one patient at a time

Mary Cunningham — Tue, 02 May 2023 19:41:39 +0000

This Mason Nurse makes an impact one patient at a time Mary Cunningham Tue, 05/02/2023 - 15:41

From the MAP Clinics to virtual reality training and the Student Nursing Association, Bachelor of Nursing student James Kim graduates prepared to be a great nurse.

James Kim with children he met on a mission trip

The next Mason Nurse is ready for the challenge. James Kim will graduate in May 2023 with his Bachelor of Nursing, ready to pass his board certifications, and begin his job in the adult observational unit at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. In addition to his motivation, excitement, and preparation, he credits his experiences in Mason’s nursing program for preparing him to reach his goals as a nurse. Kim wants to help underserved communities by providing the best standard of care and supporting patients as individuals.

“Growing up I always loved helping people and the best profession that allows this, in my opinion, is nursing,” said Kim. “During my time in the program, I was able to directly and positively care for individuals, which made me realize the benefits and impact that I could have on my community one person at a time.”

Hands-on experience is a cornerstone to a Mason Nurse’s education to help improve and inform their practice. Students work with the culturally diverse patient population in the northern Virginia area, which provides them with the necessary skills to deliver health care to underserved populations.

“Mason’s Nursing program has access to local hospitals and clinics that give us privileges to gain hands-on experience with actual patients instead of manikins. We also have an amazing faculty that has extensive knowledge in different specialties, but also the basic foundations of nursing,” said Kim.

At the Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinics, Kim was able to practice what he learned in real-world scenarios with real patients. The School of Nursing operates several MAP Clinics, interprofessional bridge-care model free clinics that serve the uninsured and refugee community within Prince William and Fairfax counties in Northern Virginia. Kim provided vaccines to children and taught others to do the same, performed assessments independently, and lead students as a charge nurse.

“This opportunity with our MAP Clinics is important because of the different skills that you utilize and practice outside of the hospital setting. I was able to directly handle an individual’s care and communicate with my peers. This helps students build more of their communication and assessment skills which in turn is beneficial for clinicals in the hospital,” said Kim.

Kim is focused on using his skills to help individuals in underserved communities and is excited to make a difference. He sees his future nursing job in Inova’s adult observational unit as another way to have a positive impact on more patients. Kim describes the unit as similar to the emergency department’s fast-paced atmosphere, which will allow him to strengthen his previous nursing and critical thinking skills in a medical/surgical setting, and his evidence-based skills.

During his BSN program, Kim also participated in virtual reality (VR) training during his pediatrics rotation. The VR training complimented his in-person experiences by helping him feel more confident in his skills. The College of Public Health’s VR and Simulation Labs allow students two practice scenarios that “challenged us to utilize knowledge taught to us from our lectures,” according to Kim. He found it beneficial to have the instructors guiding him whenever he got stuck and to discuss how the scenario could be improved in the future.

He also values the teamwork in the program through clinicals, assignments, and his participation with the Student Nurses’ Association (SNA). Through these, he says he’s formed long-lasting friendships and help others within the program.

As vice president of SNA, Kim brought innovative ideas the to student-run organization that hosts for professional and social events for student nurses, such as clothing drives and professional speakers. This role helped him hone his leadership and communication skills by creating a community and opportunities for Mason Nursing students.

He is grateful for all he’s learned at Mason and feels prepared for the professional world. Kim wants to continue to improve his craft and would eventually like to become a nurse practitioner.

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Nurses trained via virtual reality performed better than those trained by inpatient clinical training

Mary Cunningham — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 20:37:23 +0000

Nurses trained via virtual reality performed better than those trained by inpatient clinical training Mary Cunningham Tue, 04/11/2023 - 16:37

Lab Coordinator Bethany Cieslowski helps nursing student Katherine Gugino adjust the virtual reality headset during a VR Simulation Lab training class. Photo by: Shelby Burgess, Office of University Branding

In search of novel tactics to accommodate a larger student body and fulfill workforce demands, nursing schools are developing new approaches to optimize learning, engage learners, and provide methods to ensure competency in future nursing graduates.

A recent study by Bethany Cieslowski, associate professor of Nursing, and colleagues found that immersive virtual reality (VR) training has been shown to be as effective as inpatient training for students learning to provide care for acute care pediatric patients. The performance of student nurses who underwent immersive virtual reality training was found to be better overall than that of their counterparts who received inpatient clinical training.

“The use of VR continues to grow in clinical nursing practice; however, the existing body of evidence on VR, especially immersive virtual reality, is limited. These preliminary results offer promise and demonstrate the potential of immersive virtual reality in the future of nursing education and preparing the workforce of the future,” said Cieslowski.

Nursing student Elianna Puerto uses a virtual reality set for a new simulation platform, SimX, during a VR Simulation Lab training class. Photo by: Shelby Burgess, Office of University Branding

The average (mean) scores for students in the immersive VR training group were higher for all performance domains, with particularly notable improvements in the subdomains of infection control, initial assessment, and oxygen therapy compared to the clinic trained group. There were no significant differences between the groups in focused assessment, medication administration, and evaluation. Total performance scores were significantly higher for the VR group.

The mixed-methods without randomization pilot study examined the effectiveness of an immersive VR simulation training program to replace pediatric clinical practice for a convenience sample of junior-level prelicensure nursing students.

“The Development and Pilot Testing of Immersive Virtual Reality Simulation Training for Prelicensure Nursing Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study” was published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing in February 2023. Tanya Haas, assistant professor of nursing; Kyeung Mi Oh, associate professor of nursing; Kathleen Chang, assistant professor of Nursing; and Cheryl Oetjen, interim director of the School of Nursing were also part of the research team.

The Medical Team, Inc. Endowment for Innovations in Nursing Education Fund funded part of the research.

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Outstanding Public Health Nurse Award: Kadija Conteh-Barrat, BSN '09, DNP '15

Mary Cunningham — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 14:45:37 +0000

Outstanding Public Health Nurse Award: Kadija Conteh-Barrat, BSN '09, DNP '15 Mary Cunningham Tue, 10/25/2022 - 10:45

Kadija Conteh-Barrat, BSN '09, DNP '15

The School of Nursing is proud to honor Kadija Conteh-Barrat, BSN '09, DNP '15 with the Outstanding Public Health Nurse Award.

The Outstanding Public Health Nurse Award recognizes a nurse who makes outstanding contributions to the field of public health, including social justice, health equity, and the delivery of public health care and services. Conteh-Barrat was honored at the School's Honoring Mason Nurses event in April 2022. Learn more here.

Conteh-Barrat is the founder and CEO of Manak Community Health Organization (MaCHO), founded in 2020 to advance health equity and drive better health outcomes in the most underserved communities in Sierra Leone. Conteh-Barrat’s work to help those in crisis and to increase access to quality health care in Sierra Leone was inspired by her life-changing experiences during Sierra Leone's civil war and as a refugee in Guinea.

“Kadija's medical missions and community clinic are helping to address health care needs in Sierra Leone, advance health equity, decrease mortality, and improve health outcomes in these hard-to-reach communities,” said one of her nominators.

In March 2022, Conteh-Barrat completed her second medical mission in Sierra Leone and established a health clinic in the Yurika community, serving 84 villages. She has partnered with U.S. non-profits and the local health district to ensure sustainability, increase capacity, expand care in isolated communities, and provide lifesaving medications, ongoing chronic disease management, and maternal childcare.

She is working toward a postgraduate certificate in Psychiatric and Mental Health at Mason and is an adjunct faculty member in the College. In 2021, she was recognized as an Emerging Leader in Healthcare by United Health Group.

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Gaming vignettes support teaching gender-affirming care

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 14:31:27 +0000

Gaming vignettes support teaching gender-affirming care Mary Cunningham Wed, 10/05/2022 - 10:31

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A teaching intervention by Andrea Landis and Bethany Cieslowski in the School of Nursing suggests that experiential learning opportunities are fundamental to learning about gender-affirming care.

Sample of gaming vignette. Image courtesy of Kognito.

LGBTQ2+ people face notable health disparities and nurses can help improve care and access by providing inclusive, non-judgmental, gender-affirming care. Nursing, medicine, and public health programs, including ��AV, are adopting gender-affirming care as part of the curriculum. As defined by the World Health Organization, gender-affirming health care attends to transgender individuals' hormonal, surgical, medical, mental, and social health needs while respectfully affirming their gender identity.

A new teaching intervention from Assistant Professor Andrea Landis and VR Simulation Coordinator Bethany Cieslowski in the College of Health and Human Services suggests that experiential learning opportunities are fundamental to learning key concepts of gender-affirming care. Additionally, repeated practice in a safe environment helped students better understand proficient gender-affirming care. Landis and Cieslowski used gaming vignettes to teach nursing students about gender-affirming care.

"The call for action to improve care for LGBTQ2+ people requires nurse educators to introduce curriculum that integrates the barriers to care with the effects of bias and discrimination in the patient/clinician relationship,” said Landis. “Using gaming vignettes and simulations can be a great way to introduce students to gender-affirming care and help them approach scenarios from the point of the patient."

The results found that including gender-affirming care in the curriculum increases inclusive practices and the visibility of LGBTQ2+ people; this affirms previous studies’ findings. In a post-teaching intervention survey, students stated that visuals from gaming vignettes were helpful in understanding the concept of gender-affirming care and providing it. Students left the lesson better understanding the importance of pronoun and name use and respecting the patient.

The short simulation vignettes covered using chosen name and pronouns during care, the effects of bias and discrimination in the patient/clinician relationship, and the role of electronic health records in gender-affirming care.

“The simulations demonstrated how these practices contribute to a trust relationship if established at the start of patient care visits,” said Cieslowski. “The scenarios highlighted barriers to care for LGBTQ2+ patients and exemplified action steps a health care professional could take to partner with the patient.”

An Innovative Teaching Modality to Promote Proficient Gender-Affirming Care was published in August 2022 in Clinical Simulation in Nursing.

Gaming image courtesy of Kognito.

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Awareness of the many forms of intimate partner violence enables action

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 20:26:01 +0000

Awareness of the many forms of intimate partner violence enables action Mary Cunningham Mon, 09/26/2022 - 16:26

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Karen Trister Grace

Assistant Professor Karen Trister Grace shares eight forms intimate partner violence, sometimes called domestic violence, can take. Some are commonly known and others are less visible.

Nearly 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetimes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). IPV, sometimes called domestic violence, involves romantic partners who may or may not live together, and this violence can take a variety of forms.

Karen Trister Grace, assistant professor in ��AV’s School of Nursing and a Certified Nurse-Midwife

Karen Trister Grace, assistant professor in ��AV’s School of Nursing and a Certified Nurse-Midwife, is an expert on reproductive coercion, a lesser-known form of domestic violence. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Grace wants to increase awareness of different types of IPV.

“There are forms of IPV that may not be perceived as abusive or coercive at first glance. The first step in getting help is identifying behavior as abusive,” said Grace.

The CDC identifies four types of IPV—physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression. Physical violence is the most commonly known type of IPV; however, there are lesser known and less visible types of IPV, and IPV can happen in person as well as online.

Types of Intimate Partner Violence

Physical violence – Hurting or trying to hurt a partner with physical force, such as hitting, punching, beating, choking, or kicking.
Sexual violence – Forcing a partner or attempting to force a partner to participate in any sexual act, including non-physical acts such as sexting, without consent.
Stalking – Repeated, unwanted attention and/or contact by a partner that causes concern for one’s safety. This may be via phone, text, mail, or in person.
Psychological (mental/emotional) violence – Verbal or non-verbal communication with the intent to harm another mentally or emotionally to exert control over the other person. This may include intimidation, threats, harassment, gaslighting, criticism, monitoring activities, or preventing a partner from doing things they enjoy or seeing friends or family.
Reproductive coercion – Pressure to become pregnant, sabotaging or blocking access to birth control methods, or controlling the outcome of a pregnancy.
Economic/financial abuse – Controlling a partner’s access to or use of money or economic resources, such as tracking their spending, preventing them from becoming financially independent, disrupting employment or education, and stealing or disposal of assets.
Isolation – Restricting a partner’s movements/activities or whom they socialize with and their ability to access resources.
Technology abuse – Using technology to harass, monitor, or control a partner, such as by text message or on social media, non-consensual image-sharing, or recording a person without their knowledge or consent.

These are not the only forms of IPV. If you are experiencing domestic violence, you are not alone and help is available. Visit thehotline.org or call the National Domestic Violence Support Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text “Start” to 88788 to speak to a trained advocate. Reaching out is the first step to improving your situation.

Dr. Karen Trister Grace is an assistant professor at ��AV in the School of Nursing. Her research interests are in reproductive coercion, pregnancy intention, and health disparities. She is lead editor of the forthcoming third edition of the “Prenatal & Postnatal Care: A Person-Centered Approach” textbook and has published numerous papers on reproductive coercion and intimate partner violence. She has been a practicing midwife for 22 years and has taught in nursing and midwifery education for 15 years.

For media inquiries about Mason’s faculty experts in intimate partner violence, contact Michelle Thompson at 703-993-3485 or mthomp7@gmu.edu.

About Mason

��AV, Virginia’s largest public research university, enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2022, Mason celebrates 50 years as an independent institution. Learn more at http://www.gmu.edu.

About the College of Health and Human Services

The College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and to shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including 6 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 6 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college of public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.

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This Mason Nurse makes an impact one patient at a time

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Outstanding Public Health Nurse Award: Kadija Conteh-Barrat, BSN '09, DNP '15

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Gaming vignettes support teaching gender-affirming care

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A teaching intervention by Andrea Landis and Bethany Cieslowski in the School of Nursing suggests that experiential learning opportunities are fundamental to learning about gender-affirming care.

Gaming image courtesy of Kognito.

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Awareness of the many forms of intimate partner violence enables action

In This Story

Assistant Professor Karen Trister Grace shares eight forms intimate partner violence, sometimes called domestic violence, can take. Some are commonly known and others are less visible.

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