Tag Archives: advanced

CAN YOU RECOMMEND ANY RESOURCES OR TUTORIALS FOR LEARNING ADVANCED EXCEL SKILLS?

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Free Online Excel Tutorials from ExcelIsFun:

The ExcelIsFun YouTube channel contains hundreds of free Excel video tutorials that cover a wide range of advanced topics. The videos are clear, well-explained, and help you learn by actually working through examples. Some advanced topics covered include VBA, PivotTables, Power Query, Dashboarding, financial modeling techniques and more. Having both a video and written component help reinforce the lessons. The channel has been teaching Excel skills to hundreds of thousands of users for over a decade so it’s a very reliable resource.

In addition to the videos, the ExcelIsFun website at excelisfun.com contains free written tutorials and downloadable Excel workbooks for many of the topics covered in the videos. Being able to read explanations and follow along in your own workbook is extremely valuable for learning complex functions and techniques.

LinkedIn Learning Excel Courses:

Previously known as Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning offers thousands of video tutorials taught by industry experts on a wide variety of software and business topics. They have several in-depth courses focused exclusively on Excel that are well worth the reasonable subscription cost. Courses like “Excel Skills for Business” and “Excel Data Analysis” delve into advanced functions, formulas, charts, automation through VBA and data modeling techniques.

Since the platform is focused on professional and career development, the courses teach practical skills that you can directly apply on the job. Unlike many free resources, there is no filler – every lesson is focused on helping you master valuable Excel topics. The videos can also be sped up to 1.5x or 2x speeds to efficiently learn complex skills.

Udemy Excel Courses:

Udemy has hundreds of Excel courses available on every topic imaginable. While many are quite basic, they do offer some in-depth courses taught by experts that focus exclusively on advanced features. Courses like “Advanced Excel” by Justin Bishop and “Financial Modeling in Excel” by Wall Street Prep both run 10+ hours and teach Skills like Power Pivot, Power Query, macros, financial functions and more in great detail with real-world examples.

What makes Udemy courses valuable is that they are more structured learning experiences compared to random YouTube videos. Every course has hours of high-definition video lessons, downloadable course files and instructors that are available to provide assistance. While courses sometimes cost $10-200, they are often discounted to $10-20 during frequent sales, providing excellent value for the hours of learning.

Excel Exposure – Website and Blog:

Run by working professional Joel Lee, Excel Exposure is a great free resource for advanced Excel topics. The blog contains hundreds of in-depth written tutorials on functions, automation, reporting and analysis techniques. It cuts through the filler to focus only on practical skills.

What sets Excel Exposure apart is that Joel also provides the step-by-step workbook examples that accompany each tutorial. This is extremely valuable for learning complex functions and formulas – you can’t just read about them, you need to try them out in your own files. The ability to download and follow along with the working samples makes it easy to absorb advanced Excel skills.

Coursera Excel Courses:

Coursera partners with top universities to offer online courses on just about any topic. They have some wonderful advanced Excel courses available absolutely free for audit as well as for a small fee if you need a verified certificate of completion.

Classes like “Data Analysis with Excel” from the University of Toronto are extremely comprehensive – taking dozens of hours to walk through cases studies, functions and formulas to perform powerful data analysis and visualization. Since the courses come from reputed institutions, you know the material and skills are very applicable in professional settings.

By leveraging free resources like ExcelIsFun YouTube tutorials, Excel Exposure tutorials and blogs, and Udemy’s frequent low-cost advanced Excel courses, anyone can learn best practices for automation, visualization, analysis and all the most useful advanced Excel skills from experienced instructors. Moving between video, written and hands-on workbook examples makes complex topics easy to understand and apply in your own work. I hope these resources provide a great starting point for your Excel learning journey!

COULD YOU GIVE EXAMPLES OF HOW NURSING CAPSTONE PROJECTS HAVE ADVANCED THE PROFESSION

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Nursing capstone projects provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their cumulative knowledge and skills by conducting an applied research project related to a topic in nursing. These projects allow nursing students to explore real problems facing the profession and test potential solutions through rigorous scientific inquiry. While just student projects, many capstones have contributed valuable insights and recommendations that have helped advance nursing practice.

One major way capstone projects have impacted nursing is by identifying gaps in care delivery and proposing interventions to address them. For example, a 2010 capstone at Johns Hopkins evaluated discharge teaching provided to heart failure patients. Students found many patients lacked full understanding of self-care behaviors and were re-hospitalized within 30 days at worrying rates. Their recommendations for a standardized educational program with reinforcement calls were later pilot tested by the hospital with success in reducing readmissions. Nationwide, many capstones exploring transitions of care and chronic disease self-management informed the development of evidenced-based programs now widely adopted.

Other capstones have illuminated underrecognized patient populations or issues. A 2009 project at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed barriers to primary care access among homeless individuals in Philadelphia. Through interviews, students uncovered many structural obstacles like lack of identification and long wait times that discouraged usage. Their findings supported the city’s planning of a dedicated homeless health clinic. Similarly, numerous capstones on topics like adolescent substance abuse, veteran mental healthcare needs, and the psychosocial concerns of uninsured immigrants brought attention to marginalized groups and challenges within the larger healthcare system.

Technological innovations are another significant area where capstone work has furthered the field. For instance, a 2008 University of Washington project developed and tested a mobile app to help pediatric cancer patients better manage pain and side effects at home through games and guided meditations. Feedback from child participants supported the feasibility and engagement benefits of the app, which was later commercially developed. Countless other capstones have piloted telehealth systems, electronic documentation tools, and virtual reality simulations with useful outcomes assessment applied to refining new technologies in clinical practice.

At the level of nursing education itself, capstones have helped drive curricular improvements. For example, a 2013 research project at the University of Michigan evaluated the effectiveness of a new end-of-life care simulation experience added to their curriculum. Survey results and objective structured clinical exams showed students had stronger communication skills and greater comfort discussing advanced directives afterward. This provided empirical support to expand similar simulation use beyond their school of nursing. Many capstones exploring teaching methods or specific course content applications have similarly supported data-driven enhancements to nursing pedagogy.

Advocacy is one other significant way student research has benefitted the nursing field. For instance, a 2018 project at Duke University presented survey findings on nurse burnout levels and work environment concerns to state legislators with associated policy recommendations. This helped build momentum for new safe staffing ratio bills and workplace wellness resources. Likewise, numerous capstones on topics such as domestic violence screening legislation, paid family leave policies, and provider shortages in rural communities have equipped nurses with research to promote better laws and shape public policy agendas.

Nursing capstone projects provide a valuable opportunity for students to gain applied research skills while making meaningful contributions to improving the profession. Whether identifying unmet patient needs, testing innovations, enhancing education models, or informing advocacy efforts – student scholarship has consistently advanced the standards and delivery of nursing care. Going forward, nursing programs would do well to emphasize the potential social impact of capstone work and strategically align topics with priority issues to further maximize their benefits for the field.