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Background: Cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for millennia. Stigma associated with cannabis use may influence older persons access to cannabis, information seeking about cannabis, and/or use of cannabis. Scant research has sought to examine the impact of older persons’ perceptions of stigma on the ways they learn about and use medicinal cannabis, with important implications for their health. Methods/Design: In this qualitative descriptive study, we will seek older persons’ information needs and challenges accessing cannabis from older persons and professionals who work in the cannabis industry. Using open ended questions, we will survey and interview older persons who use cannabis or are considering using it about their perceptions of stigma, information seeking, choice of cannabis product, and preferred vendor. Professionals who work with cannabis will be interviewed for their experiences with older persons seeking information about and access to cannabis. Discussion: Findings will identify what information related to medicinal cannabis use older Canadians most urgently need, shed light on any stigma they fear and/or experience when searching for such information, and inform the development of information products and knowledge mobilization strategies tailored to older Canadians’ knowledge needs.

Background Negative perceptions about working with older people within nursing contribute to the deficit of educators with expertise to teach student nurses, and nurses graduating ill‐equipped to work with the ageing population. The perceptions of nurses who have recently graduated from a nursing programme can provide insights into what they wished they knew about working with older people before they graduated. Methods A qualitative descriptive study design examined recently graduated registered nurses’ reflections on their education preparation to work with older people. Content and thematic analysis was used to develop the themes of first impressions and preparation to work with older people. Results Key findings were that nurses did not recognise the importance of learning about older people until they had graduated. Only then did they realise that the ageing population was so complex and prevalent. They perceived a lack of education particularly related to working with older people with dementia and their behaviours, as well as learning how to communicate to an older population. Participants perceived that as students, it was up to them to fit in learning about working with older people without the support of faculty. Conclusions Faculty need to be supported in learning how to best incorporate content about older people into their curriculum. This could include the development of learning activities that dispel negative stereotypes about ageing and facilitates interest in older people, as this is the population, students are most likely to work with when they graduate. Implications for practice Nurses in practice may require education on working with people with dementia as it is a deficit in nursing programmes.

Background and objectives: First year students experience a significant transition when entering nursing school. The purpose of this research was to explore first year nursing students’ experiences to enhance and innovate the undergraduate nursing program at a large public Canadian university.Methods: The Faculty of Nursing approached their curriculum redesign process utilizing a Developmental Evaluation (DE) framework. Nineteen first year students participated in semi structured interviews and focus groups where they discussed their personal experiences as well as the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the program. After thematic analysis of the data, recommendations were provided to the faculty administration to guide changes made to the new curriculum.Results: Students appreciated opportunities where they could apply their knowledge to real-world situations. Students also expressed many sources of stress, such as inconsistency within and between courses, differing expectations, content, instruction style, and evaluation. They also voiced that there was a lack of communication and support from the Faculty and identified issues with grading systems.Conclusions: The findings from this study highlighted the need to revise the nursing curriculum to provide more student support and foster a positive student-faculty relationship. The current structure of nursing programs has created competition among students, causing a greater focus on obtaining higher grades than on meaningful learning. Integrated learning with authentic experiences was best received by first year students and provided for a collaborative environment. Finally, the findings from this study highlight the opportunities created by utilizing a DE approach to evaluate and innovate nursing curricula.