“When I saw the F.A. Davis solution for pathophysiology and the suite of resources available, I thought ‘this is perfect.’”
“I’ve worked with a lot of companies, and I have to say that F.A Davis offers a level of customer support that other companies don’t have.”
Laurie Gelardi, BSN, MSN, PhD Associate Professor of Nursing California State University, Northridge Northridge, CA
consistent experience with the same types of assignments, and that gives the students some comfort and they know what’s expected of them.” She notes that the online assignments and quizzes allow her to identify students who are struggling so she can intervene and help them refocus their studying. From an instructor perspective, Dr. Gelardi notes that Davis Advantage makes her life easier. “My students are more relaxed and feel like they have what they need to succeed.” The F.A. Davis experience: Dr. Gelardi says her interaction with F.A. Davis has been outstanding. “I’ve worked with a lot of companies, and I have to say that F.A Davis offers a level of customer support that other companies don’t have. I’ve never worked with a sales rep who has been as responsive as my Davis rep. He always responds and quickly.” She notes that when they were working to integrate the gradebook in Davis Advantage with the gradebook in Canvas, F.A. Davis was incredibly responsive and worked hard to get the issues resolved. She also observes that they like to hear from their customers, both good and bad, and when something isn’t working, they try to quickly find solutions and take care of customers. She notes that F.A. Davis also takes good care of the students to ensure that passwords work and they can access their materials. “This is huge because they will panic if they can’t access something.” F.A. Davis products in use by California State University, Northridge: § Davis Advantage for Pathophysiology: Introductory Concepts and Clinical Perspectives by Theresa Capriotti § Davis Advantage for Fundamentals Of Nursing (2-Volume Set) by Judith M. Wilkinson, Leslie S. Treas, Karen L. Barnett & Mable H. Smith § Davis Advantage for Medical-Surgical Nursing by Janice J. Hoffman & Nancy J. Sullivan § Essential Health Assessment by Janice Thompson § Davis Advantage for Essentials of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing by Karyn I. Morgan & Mary C. Townsend § Pediatric Nursing by Kathryn Rudd & Diane Kocisko § Maternal-Newborn Nursing by Roberta Durham, Linda Chapman & Connie Miller § Dosage Calc 360 ° by Sandra Luz Martinez de Castillo & Maryanne Werner-McCullough § Public/Community Health and Nursing Practice by Christine L. Savage § Davis’s Comprehensive Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests with Nursing Implications by Anne M. Van Leeuwen & Mickey L. Bladh § Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions, and Rationales, by Marilynn E. Doenges, Mary Frances Moorhouse & Alice C. Murr § Davis’s Drug Guide for Nurses by April Hazard Vallerand & Cynthia A. Sanoski § Nursing Leadership and Management for Patient Safety and Quality Care by Elizabeth Murray § Davis’s Nursing Skills Videos by Judith M. Wilkinson, Leslie S. Treas, Karen L. Barnett & Mable H. Smith § Reading, Understanding, and Applying Nursing Research by James A. Fain
As an Associate Professor at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), Dr. Laurie Gelardi teaches Pathophysiology in three different BSN programs: an accelerated Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) program; an RN to BSN program; and a community college collaborative program where students in the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program take some BSN-level courses which enables them to earn a BSN in 3.5 years. While the collaborative program is in-person, the other two BSN programs are hybrid with lectures in the classroom and assignments completed online within the Canvas Learning Management System. The challenge: Making pathophysiology interesting and fun Dr. Gelardi stresses that a strong foundation in Pathophysiology is extremely important for understanding content students will encounter later in their nursing program. “My goal in teaching Pathophysiology is to ensure students can use problem-solving skills and apply concepts rather than just memorize disease processes.” She notes that when she was a student taking pathophysiology, her book was “just a huge book of ‘blah’ and we were expected to learn by just reading a bunch of chapters.” She says “I realized that just sticking a book in a student’s hand and telling them to read content was not going to help them really understand and apply pathophysiology.” The solution: Davis Advantage for Pathophysiology “When I saw the F.A. Davis solution for pathophysiology and the suite of resources available, I thought ‘this is perfect,’” says Dr. Gelardi. She notes that the Davis Advantage resources offer students multiple ways of learning the material in the modality that works best for them. “The videos are amazing. Students can listen to material in the car as they are driving to school. The e-book tools allow them to make notes and highlight important information. There are so many options.” Dr. Gelardi says that a good percentage of a student’s grade is the completion of online assignments and quizzes. She offers extra credit for students who complete the many online games offered in the program. She also creates her own quizzes and assigns those weekly with fill-in-the-blank questions, case scenarios, and application activities that require them to use critical-thinking skills. She uses the Davis Advantage Clinical Judgment Activities as well, assigning these ahead of class and then discussing them in class. The result: Students are enjoying and succeeding in pathophysiology “Since I’ve started using Davis Advantage, students are enjoying Pathophysiology more,” says Dr. Gelardi. She stresses to her students that they don’t have to read the book cover to cover because there are so many learning tools available. “I tell my students to look at the highlighted clinical concepts, the red alerts, the end-of-chapter summaries, and the key terms at the beginning. I love the way the book is laid out. It’s the best of all of the products that we use.” Dr. Gelardi states that most students are doing well in the class. “When they first start class, they are terrified they will fail; they are overwhelmed by the volume of material. But the Davis Advantage products have helped me deliver a
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