Please use these news items and original research by the members of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International as story ideas for upcoming articles. We appreciate and ask that you note their membership in the honor society or that their research was presented in an honor society publication or conference. Links to more information are provided. For assistance, please contact Rachael McLaughlin at rachael@stti.org or 317.917.4944. Thank you for your great work covering nursing!

Carol J. Huston: Leading Globally
Carol J. Huston, RN, MSN, DPA, FAAN, begins her term as the 27th president of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. Huston, professor at California State University, Chico (CSUC) School of Nursing and author of four books on nursing, is guiding the organization toward its goal of being “intentionally global.”

Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy develops nurse leaders to care for aging population
Sigma Theta Tau International (honor society) in collaboration with The John A. Hartford Foundation Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence has developed a nationwide Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy to prepare and develop the leadership skills of nurses in geriatric health care settings. The academy’s goal is to improve the quality of health care to geriatric, who consume 50% of all hospital care and more than 80% of home care services.

Researcher receives Baxter Episteme Award; named Pennsylvania Distinguished Daughter
Loretta Sweet Jemmott, RN, PhD, FAAN, received Baxter International Foundation's Episteme Award in November during the honor society’s 39th biennial convention. The Episteme Award acknowledges a major breakthrough in nursing knowledge development that has resulted in a significant, recognizable benefit to the public. Jemmott's research has focused on HIV/AIDS prevention among African-American adolescents. Jemmott also was named a 2007 Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania by Gov. Ed Rendell.

Nurse who fears heights scales Mount Everest on behalf of nursing shortage
When Patrick Hickey, RN, BSN, MS, MSN, DrPH, CNOR, clinical assistant nursing professor at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, climbed 29,035 feet to the top of Mount Everest in May, he earned the distinction of being the only nurse to have scaled the Seven Summits of the world—the highest elevation on each of the continents. Hickey, 52, has used the publicity surrounding his achievement to increase awareness of the nursing shortage and to raise funds for a nursing scholarship at the University of South Carolina.

Nursing shortage update: A conversation with Peter Buerhaus, RN, PhD, FAAN
In 2000, Peter I. Buerhaus, RN, PhD, FAAN, together with economists David Auerbach and Douglas Staiger, published the results of their seminal research about a looming nursing shortage, then in its infancy, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Now, seven years later, Buerhaus brings nurses up to date on the current and future state of the shortage.

Nurse stitches quilt to honor burned soldier
When Patti Taylor learned that Marine Cpl. Aaron P. Mankin, a U.S. soldier badly burned in Iraq, would be coming to UCLA Medical Center for facial reconstructive surgery, the former Army nurse's patriotic instincts kicked in. She volunteered to be his case manager and rallied her quilting group to create a special gift to comfort him: a red-white-and-blue "quilt of valor."

Nurse anesthetist participates in professional exchange with Kyrgyz Republic

The Manas Air Base surgical team visited the Kyrgyz Republic National Surgical Center in October to donate training supplies and other usable items. Maj. Karla Atchley (center), 376th Expeditionary Medical Group, is one of 151 certified registered nurse anesthetists in the Air Force. Her group provided intravenous catheters, dressing supplies, suction tubing, endotracheal tubes, blood collection tubes, sterile gloves and irrigation fluids.

Retaining older nurses is key to easing nursing shortage
As the nursing shortage worsens, the negative impact of older RNs leaving the workforce will only become more evident, says Jennifer Joynt, a senior consultant at Health Workforce Solutions in San Francisco, California. Joynt describes successful forward-thinking hospitals that are leveraging the knowledge and experience of their older nurses.

DNA and you
Two NIH nurse researchers are on a mission to educate nurses about improved health outcomes made possible by genome research. Jean Jenkins, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Kathleen Calzone, MSN, RN, APNG, FAAN, founders of the Genetic/Genomic Nursing Competency Initiative, are translating the benefits of genetic/genomic research into improved patient care.

Nursing: A sacred, healing dance
A perfect walking meditation for nurses working in a clinical environment is to visualize themselves as dancers, according to Francis C. Biley, RN, PhD, senior lecturer at Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, Dorset, United Kingdom, and emergency room nurse Nancy M. Chiocchi, RN, MSN, clinical instructor at New York University. Whether a solo performance or an entire corps de ballet, the carefully choreographed dances of nurses reveal inner beauty, promote healing and provide insights into group dynamics.

Grade inflation—a dangerous practice in nursing schools

Acceptance of grade inflation sets students up to fail, places patients at risk and makes nurse educators the target of litigation, according to Teresa Seright, RN, MSN, instructor in the BSN program at Minot State University in Minot, North Dakota. Given those realities and the fact that over the last 34 years undergraduate grade point averages have risen 15 percent per decade, Seright says it is critical nurse educators do not follow the trend and lose sight of their own accountability.

Communities without borders: an international writing collaborative

Honor society members on three continents—Africa, Brazil and North America—created a virtual community to assist members in developing manuscripts worthy of publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Workplace violence among Iraqi hospital nurses

Almost half of the Iraqi nurses surveyed reported they have been physically attached at work. Researchers advocate hospital policies and punishment for aggressors.

Putting the puzzle together: developing a unit-based research project

Principle investigator Magdalena G. Smith, RN, senior staff nurse at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center, describes how to generate interest, brainstorm and carry out a unit-based nursing research project. She also recommends methods for institutional buy-in and putting the research into practice.

Web site publishes stories of nursing’s unsung heroes
A Canadian academic health science center has created an Internet Web that shares nursing stories and experiences with a global audience. Launched in late 2006, The “Nursing Channel” received more than 20,000 hits from around the world in the first 60 days. The Nursing Channel received “Best in Media” and “Knowledge Advancement” awards at the honor society’s 39^th biennial convention.

Oncology nurses use online support group to deliver hope to teenage cancer survivors

Researchers are using technology to meet the long-term needs of childhood cancer survivors. Using Web cameras and the Internet, patients and researchers are building a global support network and community. 

Ohio Hispanic community centers produce humorous audionovelas for health education Program directors at Ohio’s Hispanic Community Centers have written and produced three humorous, Spanish audionovelas that broadcast important health messages to the Hispanic community. The popular audionovelas have aired on public radio and during Hispanic community meetings.

Saliva testing effective to measure reproductive hormones
More than 10,000 women in the United States and thousands more in other countries are turning to bioidentical hormone therapy for relief of perimenopausal symptoms. Nurse researchers at University of Texas at Tyler demonstrate the state of the science for saliva testing to measure hormones.

Recognizing and reducing nurse bullying

Two original studies presented at the honor society’s 39^th biennial convention show how to recognize, reconcile and reduce nurse bullying:

http://www.nursinglibrary.org/Portal/main.aspx?pageid=4024&pid=19165

http://www.nursinglibrary.org/Portal/main.aspx?pageid=4024&pid=19210

Implementing emergency and disaster preparedness curriculum in nursing schools
Emergency response skills have usually applied only to nurses in emergency departments, Red Cross or public health agencies. But as the world responds to threats of terrorism, natural and man-made disasters and the possibility of pandemics, these skills will be required expertise for most nurses. The International Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Education has developed educational competencies for nurses to respond to emergencies and disasters.

Evidence-based messages promote healthy eating and physical activity in young children

The childhood obesity epidemic has skyrocketed globally. Collaborators have developed evidence-based key messages for families and child care centers to promote healthy eating and physical activity in young children.

How to be with dying patients: tacit wisdom from experienced nurses

A study of experienced end-of-life nurses teaches health professionals how to act more thoughtfully and tactfully in their encounters with dying patients and their families.

How to create healing practice environments for nurses

Hospitals are creating healing practice environments for nurses in which concern for staff is highly valued.

How to retain new graduate nurses

Evidence-based findings and solutions for hospitals to minimize turnover of new nurse graduates.

Best practices to get nursing school students to graduation

A study conducted at Edison College in Ft. Myers, Fla., describes best practices to retain nursing school students.

Nurse-Friendly Hospital Program impacts job satisfaction and quality of care

The federally funded Nurse-Friendly Hospital Program implemented in rural and small hospitals in Texas has demonstrated improvement in nurse satisfaction and retention and quality of care.

Dietary influences on brain function
Kathleen Brewer-Smyth, PhD, RN, CRRN, University of Delaware, studies how foods can influence immediate alertness and long-term brain function. Tips for dietary and environmental behaviors that optimize brain function are provided.

Publish or perish: writing for publication
Editors of the honor society’s professional journals—Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing and Journal of Nursing Scholarship, —teach nurses how to write effective manuscripts.

RECENT BOOKS PUBLISHED BY THE HONOR SOCIETY
Books published by the honor society are by, for and about nurses. True to the honor society's vision, the honor society’s books support the growth of a global community of nurses who lead using scholarship, knowledge and technology to improve the health of the world's people. All of the books and online courses are available for faculty course adoption.

Nursing Without Borders: Values, Wisdom, Success Markers

This book is for all the nurses who have crossed their own borders, or might like to. It provides both visionary lessons and practical advice. It is part history, part business textbook, part travelogue, part how-to, and part inspiration. Learn more.

Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model and Guidelines 

Within a health-care environment of ever-increasing scrutiny and heightened expectations, nurses, physicians, public health scientists, and other health-care professionals must continually explore what works best in patient care based on the best evidence available. Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model and Guidelines depicts three essential cornerstones that form the foundation for professional nursing: practice, education, and research.  Learn more.

Synergy: The Unique Relationship Between Nurses and Patients 
This book shows how to implement the successful AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care, a conceptual framework that emphasizes the importance of basing nursing care on the needs of patients and their families. It describes how to match the continuum of characteristics that a patient brings to a health-care situation and the dimensions of nursing practice that will best meet patient and family needs and improve outcomes. Learn more.

Daily Miracles: Stories and Pictures of Humanity and Excellence in Health Care 
This little gem of a book combines artistic visual beauty and photography to capture the secret stories of miracles in nursing. Awarded the American Journal of Nursing’s 2007 Book of the Year. Learn more.