Annual Review of Nursing Education, Vol. I

Annual Review of Nursing Education, Vol. I edited by Marilyn Oermann, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Kathleen T. Heinrich, PhD, RN; New York: Springer Publishing, 2003; 392 pages, $52.95 Are you seeking innovations to enliven your teaching? Are you engaged in curriculum revisions designed to challenge your students? Are you trying to improve the critical thinking capabilities of your graduates? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this book may be a useful addition to your professional library. The advisory board and editors have assembled an impressive array of materials organized into four sections: community-based education, mentoring and preceptorships, distance education, and innovative strategies. The content is provided by authors representing a range of community colleges and universities. Detailed information is provided for those readers who would like to implement some of the strategies offered in this book. The three papers in Part 1 focus on program-level interventions in the community, using examples from ADN, BSN, and graduate education. Curricula are clearly outlined and challenges to implementation are identified. Successful tips for developing professional community partnerships, including excellent supportive resources, are presented. This reviewer was disappointed, however, that outcome evaluation data were not presented although process measures and participant satisfaction surveys were included. Postgraduation employer and student performance evaluations would have strengthened the credibility of these innovative designs. Part 2 offers five papers on mentoring and preceptorships. Jeffrey's chapter, which provides an excellent framework for a future grant proposal, focuses on strategies for mentoring nontraditional students for success. Myrick and Yonge examine the historical roots of current preceptor trends, coupled with a frank discussion of the barriers inherent in today's health care environment. Other papers demonstrate the application of precepting and mentoring strategies in new environments, including the preparation of nurse educators, the development of interdisciplinary master educators, and the nurturing of novice nursing students. Part 3, the largest section, presents nine papers focusing on innovative "how-to's" in distance education, in a wide variety of settings and at several program levels: rural health, international collaborative learning, RN/BSN education, nurse midwife, and nurse practitioner education, to identify a few. …