Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Tholcken.
Twenty-four baccalaureate nursing students described their perceptions of learning about children's community-based case management with photographs and text. Instructors categorized students' photographs, developed themes, and validated the themes with senior students.
This article details a program through which two child health faculty members who are advanced practice nurses (APNs) combined practice with teaching undergraduate students in a community-based clinical experience on nursing case management. A collaborative agreement between a university-based Children's Special Services Team (CSST) and school of nursing faculty was developed to extend services into the home communities of children with special healthcare needs. Senior students made visits to the homes of the team's clients, conducted assessments, interacted with families, and provided additional care. The team, which included physicians, nurses, a social worker, and therapists (occupational and physical) identified children and families who would benefit from home visits by students nurses who were directed by APNs. Both service and educational goals were accomplished by this community-based case-management experience. The children and their families received additional care from multiple healthcare providers. Students practiced components of community-based case management, and the CSST obtained vital information about their clients' living environments.
An exploratory, qualitative study of 24 senior generic nursing students (GNSs) and 23 practicing registered nurse baccalaureate students (PRNSs) was conducted to evaluate students' perceptions about case management for community-based children with disabilities, and to examine the differences in the two student groups' perceptions utilizing the visual inquiry method. For a class project, the students used words and photographs to show how they solved one problem for a family caring for a child with a disability in the community. All students agreed on the overall theme, home environment; however, significant differences in each group's perception of this theme emerged. The GNSs described the home environment as a barrier, whereas the PRNSs described the home environment as being inside the home and outside the home. Moreover, two other themes emerged with the 23 PRNSs that were not perceived by the GNSs. The analysis of students' perceptions about case management of their clients was conducted from data analysis of the photographs. Though the literature does not support that differences in learning between the GNSs and PRNSs exist, this study demonstrates there are differences in perception about case management between the two groups.