Undergraduate Cancer Training Program for Underrepresented Students: Findings from a Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership

Students from racially/ethnically diverse backgrounds are underrepresented in graduate programs in biomedical disciplines. One goal of the Minority Institution/Cancer Center partnership between New Mexico State University (NMSU) and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) is to expand the number of underrepresented students who are trained in cancer research. As part of the collaboration, a summer internship program has been organized at the FHCRC. The program runs for 9 weeks and involves mentored research, research seminars, coffee breaks, social activities, and a final poster session. This study examined the graduate school attendance rates of past interns, explored interns’ perceptions of the training program, and identified ways to improve the program. Thirty undergraduate students enrolled at NMSU participated in the internship program from 2002 to 2007 and telephone interviews were conducted on 22 (73%) of them. One-third of the students were currently in graduate school (32%); the remaining were either working (36%), still in undergraduate school (27%), or unemployed and not in school (5%). Students rated highly the following aspects of the program: mentored research, informal time spent with mentors, and research seminars. Students also reported the following activities would further enhance the program: instruction on writing a personal statement for graduate school and tips in choosing an advisor. Students also desired instruction on taking the GRE/MCAT, receiving advice on selecting a graduate or professional school, and receiving advice on where to apply. These findings can inform the design of internship programs aimed at increasing rates of graduate school attendance among underrepresented students.     

The effect of a teamwork intervention on staff perception of teamwork and patient care on a medical surgical unit

As a result of the ever‐changing health care environment and patient complexity, it is difficult for nursing teams to provide safe quality care and complete all tasks, also known as missed nursing care. Missed nursing care is a global health care issue and defined as any aspect of care missed in part, in whole, or delayed. Teamwork has been found to not only positively impact the performance of a team, but also patient outcomes. Teamwork strategies are needed to help nursing teams provide the best care to their patients. Inpatient nursing teams work in complex environments and handle many patient issues making it difficult to find one workable solution. The purpose of this study was to determine if a teamwork intervention would impact the nursing team’s perception of teamwork and missed nursing care on a medical surgical unit. In this quasi‐experimental design study there was an increase in both teamwork and missed nursing care pretest and posttest survey scores. Despite the increase not being statistically significant, based on the staff feedback, the intervention shows promise to be a viable teamwork strategy. Future studies should include larger sample size and longer duration.