Teaching medical applications and workflow of three-dimensional printing to medical students: Results of a pilot elective course

Impact of Nursing Clinical Elective Courses on New Graduate Nurses' Clinical Practice: A Mixed-Methods Descriptive Study

BACKGROUND

Clinical elective courses provide additional specialty knowledge for prelicensure nursing students; however, it is unknown how these courses impact nurses' clinical practice after graduation.

PURPOSE

To describe how clinical nursing electives impact graduates' clinical practice.

METHODS

A mixed-methods descriptive design was used. Students who graduated from a prelicensure nursing program were sent an electronic survey and participated in qualitative interviews.

RESULTS

Thirty-three graduates completed the survey, with 9 participating in interviews. Sixteen graduates worked in the clinical practice areas that were the same, or related to, the clinical elective they took. Many graduates felt that taking the elective course improved their confidence in the clinical setting and provided increased knowledge that put them at an advantage over their peers.

CONCLUSION

Clinical electives may offer a means to meet health care system needs by preparing a more confident, knowledgeable new graduate in specialty areas in which nurses are needed most.

The Role of 3D Printing in Planning Complex Medical Procedures and Training of Medical Professionals-Cross-Sectional Multispecialty Review

Medicine is a rapidly-evolving discipline, with progress picking up pace with each passing decade. This constant evolution results in the introduction of new tools and methods, which in turn occasionally leads to paradigm shifts across the affected medical fields. The following review attempts to showcase how 3D printing has begun to reshape and improve processes across various medical specialties and where it has the potential to make a significant impact. The current state-of-the-art, as well as real-life clinical applications of 3D printing, are reflected in the perspectives of specialists practicing in the selected disciplines, with a focus on pre-procedural planning, simulation (rehearsal) of non-routine procedures, and on medical education and training. A review of the latest multidisciplinary literature on the subject offers a general summary of the advances enabled by 3D printing. Numerous advantages and applications were found, such as gaining better insight into patient-specific anatomy, better pre-operative planning, mock simulated surgeries, simulation-based training and education, development of surgical guides and other tools, patient-specific implants, bioprinted organs or structures, and counseling of patients. It was evident that pre-procedural planning and rehearsing of unusual or difficult procedures and training of medical professionals in these procedures are extremely useful and transformative.