Given the academic and clinical demands faced by nursing students, mental health is a critical component of their well-being. To promote a culture of wellness, Mental Health Bulletin Boards were implemented at a large, multicampus nursing college to provide an interactive space for students to share mental health strategies. A thematic analysis of 339 individually posted bulletin board notes revealed five overarching categories: physical health, connectedness, mental and emotional health, leisure and creative outlets, and personal management strategies. The findings inform nursing education wellness initiatives, including curriculum integration, faculty messaging, and community outreach.

This study used a descriptive phenomenological design to explore nurse educators' perceptions of leadership support and examine how such support influences their job satisfaction and intent to leave. Virtual interviews were conducted with 14 nurse educators representing seven US states. Findings indicated that leadership support plays a meaningful role in shaping both job satisfaction and intent to leave for nurse educators. The results align with existing literature and reinforce the idea that leadership support is not merely beneficial but essential for retaining qualified faculty in nursing education. Therefore, leadership support within nursing education programs warrants further investigation.

A healthy clinical environment enhances nursing students' learning, safety, recruitment, and caring skills. To reduce first-day stress and promote students' sense of belonging, an intentional orientation program was developed and piloted in eight inpatient units with several schools of nursing. The 3T approach - tour, talk, touch - involved a comprehensive unit tour, patient communication, and hands-on care. Feedback from 25 students showed increased confidence and sense of belonging after the intervention, highlighting informative tours, supportive preceptors, and practical communication as main benefits. The initiative provides an example of a successful orientation that builds student belonging, self-efficacy, and collaboration.

New nurse faculty often face challenges with role clarity and cultural integration during the transition from clinical practice to academia, underscoring the need for effective onboarding. A public, urban school of nursing piloted a competency-based education (CBE) onboarding program designed to support novice faculty. The program incorporated asynchronous modules, mentorship, and CBE-aligned assessments, fostering organizational culture through role clarity and community-building. Although the sample size limited statistical significance, trends indicated improved teaching confidence and modest gains in sense of belonging and mentor support. Findings suggest that CBE-based onboarding may enhance faculty transition and cultural integration, warranting larger scale evaluation.

The Center for Future Faculty is an innovative, multi-institutional model addressing the nurse faculty shortage through a collaborative, competency-based approach. Four regional universities partnered to prepare aspiring nurse educators via graduate coursework, mentored fellowships, and seminars aligned with National League for Nursing CNE® competencies. Seven students completed the inaugural year; most planned to pursue educator roles, and course evaluations showed high satisfaction and skill development. Partners benefited from strengthened faculty pipelines and shared academic resources. Early outcomes suggest that regional partnerships can sustainably expand nursing education capacity and advance health equity by cultivating a diverse, well-prepared future faculty workforce.

Nurse anesthesia students face high rates of burnout, anxiety, and depression that can impair learning and clinical readiness. Between June and November 2024, a university nurse anesthesia program implemented trauma-informed wellness initiatives, including flexible scheduling (condensed on-campus days, excused absences, virtual attendance for distant sites), a pass/fail reflective wellness assignment, regular cohort town halls, weekly community emails, a final-year professional course with mindfulness/provider-wellness content, and a program-specific career fair. Following implementation, first-time national certification examination pass rates rose from 83 percent (2023) to 91 percent (2025). A trauma-informed, multilevel wellness approach was associated with improved program outcomes.

New graduate nurses experience high stress during the transition to practice, increasing risk for burnout and early workforce attrition. This educational project evaluated a Caritas-based training and mentoring protocol grounded in Watson's theory of human caring within a nurse residency program. Using a quasi-experimental evaluation design, residents participated in three structured mentoring sessions emphasizing caring behaviors, reflective practice, and self-care. Outcomes included high participant satisfaction, perceived applicability of Caritas principles, and engagement with reflective learning activities. Findings suggest that integrating caring science into nurse residency education is a feasible strategy to support nurse well-being, professional identity development, and retention-related factors.

Work-life balance (WLB) is a key contributor to faculty attrition, potentially worsening the nursing faculty shortage. This study used mixed methods to explore differences in WLB between online and face-to-face nursing faculty. Data from 38 full-time faculty indicated that most perceived their work-life as unbalanced and were overwhelmed by workload demands. Online teaching was perceived as providing a better balance but was associated with greater boundary blurring and more evening and weekend work. Qualitative findings identify workload and boundary issues as key influences on WLB. Evidence-based strategies to support faculty retention and sustainability are needed.

Nursing is a profession where nurses combine the art and science of nursing to deliver holistic patient care. This qualitative, interpretive descriptive study explored nursing presence from the perspectives of 16 academic clinical nurse educators who educate prelicensure nursing students across the United States. Data analysis identified several themes related to components of integrating and evaluating nursing presence. These themes come together to offer a clearer picture of the puzzle that represents nursing presence.

This pilot study used Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory and Watson's theory of human caring to develop the Trinitas Mentorship Model with 11 new nurse faculty. Data from 10 monthly focus groups and pre-/post-questionnaires were analyzed. Four constructivist grounded theory categories-belonging, competency, empowerment, and work/life balance-persisted and deepened within the structured mentorship experience, with no new categories emerging. These categories shaped a three-pronged framework: Launch/Onboarding, Mentorship, and Sponsorship, with intentional mentor pairing and caring science principles embedded throughout. Findings from year 1 indicate the model strengthened recruitment, development, and retention; only 1 of 11 faculty resigned to date.

Generation Z nursing students often experience test anxiety and uncertainty about clinical placements, which can undermine performance and well-being. Yearly orientations foster psychological safety and resilience by providing clarity, support, and active learning opportunities. A mixed-methods descriptive design with a convenience sample was used. Students reported productive learning and adopting new approaches. Three themes emerged: good information about the future, help with anxiety, and engaging activities. By presenting clear goals and offering interactive experiences, yearly orientations contribute to a healthy academic environment that promotes confidence, engagement, and overall student success.

This study explored direct classroom application of game-based learning in two BSN advanced pharmacology elective courses, comparing quizzes and exam scores from the experimental and control groups. When used strategically, games can improve long-term recall of pharmacology knowledge. Participant feedback supported the use of game-based learning in the nursing program. The researchers include suggestions for instructors planning to implement games within their pedagogy and provide examples of games for pharmacology instructors to try.