United States veterans are a multifaceted population with a distinct culture that includes, but is not limited to, values, customs, ethos, selfless duty, codes of conduct, implicit patterns of communication, and obedience to command. Veterans experience mental health disorders, substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress, and traumatic brain injury at disproportionate rates compared to their civilian counterparts. Eighteen to 22 American veterans commit suicide daily and young veterans aged 18–44 are most at risk. Health care professionals must be aware of patients' military history and be able to recognize suicide-risk factors, regardless of age. Advancement in medical technology has allowed servicemen to survive their injuries but, for many, at the cost of a traumatic limb amputation and associated mental scarring. Health care professionals must be able to address physical safety concerns, as well as, emotional health of veterans. Approximately 49,933 American veterans are homeless and face the same difficulties as non-veterans in addition to service-related matters. Separation from military service and issues related to complex multiple deployments are among specifically identified veteran issues. Successful veteran reintegration into civilian life rests upon providing veterans with training that builds on their military knowledge and skill, employment post-separation from service, homelessness prevention, and mental health programs that promote civilian transition. Preparing health care providers to meet the complex needs of a vast veteran population can be facilitated by implementing veteran content into curricula that includes veteran patient simulations and case studies, and utilizes veteran clinical faculty.

In the past, only people diagnosed with celiac disease, approximately 1% of the population, avoided gluten consumption through all their meals. However, popular media often now mistakenly present gluten-free foods as being a healthier choice, and more people have now concluded that gluten is a harmful part of the diet. A review of literature on gluten-free diets, gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, and attitudes toward gluten consumption was undertaken to examine the prevalence and consequences of adopting a gluten-free diet and to provide guidance to healthcare practitioners whose patients are now often adopting this diet without medical input. Aside from celiac disease, nonceliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) occurs in those persons in which gluten ingestion leads to symptomatic manifestations in the absence of celiac disease or wheat allergy but who report a remission of certain symptoms after removing gluten from their diet. However, it was been shown that a large percentage of people who claim NCGS do not feel those manifestations under a double-blind challenge to gluten. Moreover, some parents, believing that ingesting gluten is detrimental for their health, adopt gluten-free diets for their children. A review of existing data shows that there are detrimental effects to going gluten free, including loss of the dietary fiber, deficiencies in dietary minerals and vitamins, and potential heavy metal exposure. Healthcare practitioners should query patients about their dietary choices, and in cases of questionable adoption of gluten-free diet, patients and parents are educated about the detriments of a gluten-free diet, and in cases where patients continue to insist on gluten-free foods, referrals to nutritional counseling are warranted in order to minimize potential harm.

Background: In 2010, the World Health Organization issued a clarion call for action on interprofessional education and collaboration. This call came forty years after the concept of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) was introduced. Aim: To conduct an integrative review of interprofessional collaboration in health care education in order to evaluate evidence and build the case for university support and resources and faculty engagement, and propose evidence-based implications and recommendations. Search Strategy: A literature search was conducted by an interprofessional faculty from a college of nursing and health sciences. Databases searched included CINAHL, Medline, Eric, Pubmed, Psych Info Lit., and Google Scholar. Keywords were interdisciplinary, interprofessional, multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, health care team, teamwork, and collaboration. Inclusion criteria were articles that were in the English language, and published between 1995 and 2019. Review Methods: Thirteen interprofessional team members searched assigned databases. Based on key words and inclusion criteria, over 216,885 articles were identified. After removing duplicates, educational studies, available as full text were reviewed based on titles, and abstracts. Thirty-two articles were further evaluated utilizing the Sirriyeh, Lawton, Gardner, and Armitage (2012) review system. Faculty agreed that an inclusion score of 20 or more would determine an article’s inclusion for the final review. Eighteen articles met the inclusion score and the data was reduced and analyzed using the Donabedian Model to determine the structure, processes, and outcomes of IPC in health care education. Results: Structure included national and international institutions of higher education and focused primarily on undergraduate and graduate health care students’ experiences. The IPC processes included curricular, course, and clinical initiatives, and transactional and interpersonal processes. Outcomes were positive changes in faculty and health care students’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills regarding IPC, as well as challenges related to structure, processes, and outcomes which need to be addressed. Implications/Recommendations/Conclusions: The creation of a culture of interprofessional collaboration requires a simultaneous “top–down” and “bottom–up” approach with commitment by the university administration and faculty. A university Interprofessional Strategic Plan is important to guide the vision, mission, goals, and strategies to promote and reward IPC and encourage faculty champions. University support and resources are critical to advance curricular, course, and clinical initiatives. Grassroots efforts of faculty to collaborate with colleagues outside of their own disciplines are acknowledged, encouraged, and established as a normative expectation. Challenges to interprofessional collaboration are openly addressed and solutions proposed through the best thinking of the university administration and faculty. IPC in health care education is the clarion call globally to improve health care.

Background: With competition from so many nursing programs seeking clinical sites and numerous nurses entering the health care industry, it is imperative to have a nurse preceptor program in health care institutions. Method: This article attempts to identify the essential components of a preceptor program by reviewing the literature, surveying RNs to identify curriculum, and suggesting an evidence-based preceptor program of value. Results: Although there is much in the published literature and books about preceptors' roles and responsibilities, few references are available about how to start a preceptor program and program components. A total of 402 RNs with a baccalaureate nursing degree (or higher) were surveyed at a health care system. One hundred ninety-seven surveys were completed (49% response rate) to identify education topics, format, and time of delivery. Conclusion: The development and implementation of a preceptor program is vital for the success of nurse training and retention to provide quality care. J Contin Nurs Educ. 2017;48(11):508–511.

This retrospective study examined the relationships among 10 academic predictors and first-time success on the NCLEX-RN in a sample of 92 bachelor of science in nursing minority and culturally diverse generic/traditional students at a large minority-serving, urban, public university. Predictors included the Test of Essential Academic Skills (overall, science, and reading), science grade point average (GPA), cumulative GPA, and scores on various standardized exams: Kaplan, HESI, and ATI. Discriminant analysis found science GPA of >3.50 and ATI B of 60 or above to be the best predictors of passing NCLEX-RN. Based on statistically significant differences between NCLEX-RN pass and fail scores, good indicators of NCLEX-RN success were scores of 50 or above on Kaplan and 950 or above on HESI. Overall, the Test of Essential Academic Skills did not predict students’ NCLEX-RN outcomes.

Background: This study explored the positive and negative factors that influence interprofessional education (IPE) implementation in health care education programs across the United States. Methods: The study sample consisted of 439 (response rate 8.4%) health care faculties from seven health care professions (nursing, medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, and social work) who were asked what the positive and negative factors are that influence their decisions to engage in IPE. Results: Three positive categories and two negative categories concerning factors that influence health care faculty (HCF) intent to engage in IPE emerged. The three major categories of positive factors emerged as patient care, which was mentioned by 196 subjects or 54% of the sample, student learning, which was mentioned by 157 subjects or 43% of the sample, and health care teams, which was mentioned by 88 subjects or 24% of the sample. The two major categories of negative factors emerged as scheduling and coordination, which was mentioned by 230 subjects or 63% of the sample, and discipline culture which was mentioned by 103 subjects or 28% of the sample. Conclusion: This study contributes to the body of knowledge concerning the factors that influence effective IPE implementation. Discussion is provided regarding the positive and negative categories that emerged and how they influence effective IPE delivery.