Clinical Knowledge & Communication
Medical students have noticed that nutrition and diet receive scant attention in their course of studies. Now, they want change—in the form of dietary knowledge they can use to treat common health problems.
Diet, Medicine, and Social Issues Are Coming Together in Britain
More and more people today are coping with weight concerns, depression, and diabetes—what doctors describe as non-communicable diseases.
As this trend continues, nutrition might just become a medical education standard.
In the thick of change is Bristol University in England, where medical students Iain Broadley and Ally Jaffee recently opened Nutritank. It’s a think tank for nutrition research and on-campus education. Now, Bristol is poised to offer Britain’s first course in culinary medicine. And this year the British Medical Journal will establish a journal on diet: the science and the social issues.
The University of New Mexico‘s medical school has teamed up with its College of Education to offer an elective that invites medical students into the kitchen. The class welcomes fourth-year med students and nutrition grad students.
Taught by Associate Professor Deborah Cohen, the new course in culinary medicine guides students in food preparation. It offers the clinical science that connects nutrition with treatment for diseases. The syllabus includes an overview, a section on renal physiology and sodium, and lessons on fats and modifying body weight. Online sections cover metabolism, as well as physiology and biochemistry.
A dietetic intern serves as a nutrition care mentor for each medical student. Mentored students can complete a clinical component, in which they carry out nutrition assessments, then guide the patients in learning.
Prof. Cohen founded the course after National Public Radio featured the progress at Tulane University’s Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine.
Of course, connecting food and medicine means obtaining access to a spacious kitchen. That connection may become the new model.
For proof that culinary medicine is burgeoning, consider the
Expect plenty of kitchen labs in the coming years!
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Nursing educators must always be aware of new, different, and better ways to teach their students. Concept Based Learning is a new nursing student educational teaching and learning technique allowing educators to focus on teaching concepts to nursing students rather than problem sets or raw information learning tactics like rote memorization. Nursing students must know ever-increasing amounts of content and learn it in a very short time, and need to be generalists (only taught through critical thinking skills). Concept Based Learning is based on the idea that nursing students must grasp overall concepts before they can successfully apply them in school or employment.
The “who” centers around the students or the learners. Educators must promote open communication based on mutual respect, understanding, and student encouragement in activity, compassion, and lifelong learning. The “how” for educators is a new, more effective teaching approach for nursing students that encourages lifelong learning, making cognitive and real life connections. The “why” is because educators should always educate students in global contexts, meaning techniques should encourage tolerance and cultural knowledge. The “what” is guiding students through significant content exploration that provides balanced, connected, and assessed classes and curriculums in a manner that ensures that students are learning, engaged, and take away necessary knowledge from their educations.
Nurse educators support Concept Based Learning because it encourages critical thinking, a skill all students and people need — especially nurses, who frequently experience new situations. Concept Based Learning allows for teaching “outside the box” and should create unique conversations, allowing students more time for discussion and thought instead of worksheets and testing. Concept Based Learning includes as a central component cultural education, encouraging tolerance and exploration, a key part of becoming a caring, thoughtful, and helpful nurse. Concept Based Learning is a powerful tool for nurse educators to increase student knowledge and development, allowing their educations drive them beyond classroom experiences to a lifetime of learning and excellent patient care.
The Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS), is a standardized test for aspiring nurses who wish to enter nursing school. It is used to test the general academic skill level of those applying for nursing school to determine their placement requirements and educational needs.
Taking the TEAS is a preliminary part of applying for nursing school. Your score on the test will affect your ability to get into the best nursing schools in the country. The better your score, the better your chances to be accepted by the best nursing schools.
TEAS TESTING BASICS
The questions cover Math, Science, English language comprehension, and English language use. Each section will cover one of these five topics. There will be 170 questions total on the test.
The test will be assessed on 13 separate metrics which are designed to help administrators fulfill their duties with greater accuracy. It is not a pass/fail test. It is an assessment test, and each section requires applicants to score between the 60th and 70th percentile to proceed;
The questions are multiple choice and drawn randomly from a bank of about 1500 questions.
You will have a total of 209 minutes, about 3 and ½ hours to complete the test.
As stated, the roughly 60th percentile score requirement for academic placement does not seem very steep. However, to get into the best schools, a score ranking in the 91st percentile is considered ideal.
Taking the TEAS Test
To take the test, contact the school you are applying for. Visit the ATI TEAS website to register and create an account. To take the test, you will need an appointment at a testing center.
Bring a valid ID, No 2 pencils, proof of registration. And leave cell phones at home.
You will be required to pay a transcript fee of $27 to have your test results transmitted to your school of choice.
A number of resources exist online to help people prepare for the test. CCBC bookstores and atitesting.com are considered to be the most mainstream sources and certain fees are associated with their services.
Those who wish to retake the test may do so within the admission cycle.
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Preparing for a big board exam is a tall task. It requires stamina, dedication, and an incredible amount of knowledge that you need to recall at a moment’s notice. Just reading about the board exam requirements is enough to make even the most devoted student feel anxious. But, fear not; with the right studying techniques you can prepare for and ace the big test.
Continue reading “5 study tips to help you ace the big exam”
In my over 40 years of nursing I have learned that nurses spend most of their time giving to others. We give to our patients, our colleagues, our family, our friends and our community. I have also learned that so much giving saps our energy and leads to burn out, depression, exhaustion, and dissatisfaction at work and at home.
Continue reading “5 Tips to find the work life balance in nursing”
Nursing educators must always be aware of new, different, and better ways to teach their students. Concept Based Learning is a new nursing student educational teaching and learning technique allowing educators to focus on teaching concepts to nursing students rather than problem sets or raw information learning tactics like rote memorization. Nursing students must know ever-increasing amounts of content and learn it in a very short time, and need to be generalists (only taught through critical thinking skills). Concept Based Learning is based on the idea that nursing students must grasp overall concepts before they can successfully apply them in school or employment.
Continue reading “A Fantastic development in nursing education: Concept based learning”
Nurses are the lifeblood of the medical industry. Whether you work in a nursing home, hospital, or private practice, as a nurse – you will be responsible for just about everything the doctor does not do … which is a lot. Nurses deal directly with patients, checking on them regularly, taking care of everything from basic to serious medical requirements. One thing is for certain – the world of healthcare would fall to pieces without nurses.
So you’re preparing to take the NCLEX-RN nursing exam. Fantastic. This will be a milestone in your nursing career, and the test is pricey, so you want to optimize your chances of getting a high score. Registration and scheduling fees are typically between $200 and $300. Additional costs for materials tend to run an average of $300 to $500.
Winter is a time of extremes—extreme cold, extreme wind, and extreme sports. As the days shorten, skiers and snowboarders head to the mountains, seeking thrills and fresh powder. But these alpine valleys harbor dangers to the body and brain.