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Acts Of Resistance: Nurses' Personal Narratives, Maryanne Garon Dnsc

Dissertations

Acts of resistance can be expressions of creativity, protest or non-cooperation by oppressed groups. Resistance is seen as always present in the face of domination. Acts of resistance can help us to understand how the powerless mediate power relations, and they can actually give hope to the powerless. This study looked at the issues of power and resistance through critical and feminist perspective. A central concept of feminist theory is that women, and thus nurses as a women's profession, are oppressed. This study looked at female nurses' acts of resistance, which were defined as speaking up or taking action about …

Influence Of Psychiatric Diagnostic Training On Counseling Students’ Development Of A Model-For-Helping And Professional Identity, Jerry E. Mclaughlin

Dissertations

Over the years, numerous proposals have been made in the counselor education (CE) literature about what counseling philosophy can best lead the profession to a distinctive professional identity (Bauman & Waldo, 1998; Fong & Lease, 1994; Guterman, 1994). An issue in this debate is whether psychiatric diagnostic training forms a part of a counseling philosophy (i.e., model-for-helping) and professional identity that is more focused on client psychopathology than on normal developmental issues. This study explored how training and experience in psychiatric diagnostic categories (PDCs) influenced counselors’ development of their counseling philosophy and professional identity.

Focus-group interviews were held at four …

The Relationship Of Self-Esteem, Learned Resourcefulness And Social Support To Health-Related Quality Of Life In Long-Term Cancer Survivors, Leli W. Pedro Dnsc, Ms, Rnc, Ocn

Dissertations

Increased survival and advances in oncology research demand that health professionals attend to the gap in knowledge regarding health-related quality of life (HRQL) variables associated with the unique sequelae of cancer in the long-term (LT) cancer survivor. Research in this area may direct the development of effective interventions to increase the HRQL of LT cancer survivors. The study's purpose was to describe the relationships between self-esteem, learned resourcefulness, and social support to HRQL as well as their predictive value to HRQL for LT cancer survivors. A quantitative, descriptive, correlational, and noninterventional design was used to describe the relationship of self-esteem, …

Relationships Between Posttraumatic Stress, Acculturation, And Maternal Sensitivity In Vietnamese And Hmong Mothers, Gwendolyn F. Foss Dnsc

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine if posttraumatic stress (PTS), depression, and anxiety occurred in a community sample of Vietnamese and Hmong mothers and to describe relationships between PTS, depression, anxiety, acculturation and maternal sensitivity. Transition theory (Bridges, 1980), and a conceptual model of parenting in immigrant populations building on Belsky's (1984) work, provided the theoretical framework (Foss, 1996). The sample was divided evenly between Vietnamese and Hmong participants. Ages ranged from 17–43 years, time lived in the United States ranged from 3–21 years, and education ranged from no formal education to completion of college. Maternal sensitivity was …

The Experience Of Decision-Making Among Telephone Advice/Triage Nurses, Ann Mayo Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

The role of the telephone advice/triage nurse is both complex and demanding. All decisions are made while assessing patients without seeing or touching patients. In addition, the role is often developed to decrease health care costs which can be perceived by nurses as being in conflict with their nursing beliefs. The ambiguous nature of the role makes these nurses' daily experiences with decision-making a challenge. Using a phenomenological method, the lived experience of decision-making among telephone advice/triage nurses was explored by conducting multiple interviews with ten nurses. The internal structure of the lived experience was identified through the philosophical perspective …

Major Trauma Outcomes: At What Cost? And For Whom? A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, A. Elaine Bond Dnsc, Msn, Aprn, Ccrn

Dissertations

The purpose of this triangulated descriptive study was threefold: (a) to identify the financial costs for acute trauma care, including costs for those who die early in treatment, and who pays those costs; (b) to identify the relationship between costs and severity of injury; and (c) to identify survivor functional and psychosocial costs, or quality of life, not only by current health care outcome criteria, but also from patients' and families' perspectives. Retrospective review determined the financial differences (total charges of $9,945,973 and institutional costs of $7,089,962) for 370 patients' severity of injury and functional outcomes at discharge, using the …

Being Alone: The Experience Of Elderly Homebound Females, Sharon Davis Burt Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

Elderly women comprise one of the fastest growing segments of the population in the United States. This growth is due in large part to increasing longevity, and a woman's life expectancy has now reached 79 years. However, along with those added years comes an increase in morbidity and a greater likelihood of living alone. This study describes the life experience of a specific group of elderly women, those who are homebound and living alone. When elderly women are included in research, the same combination of descriptors used for the participants in this study has not been incorporated. Consequently, while much …

Direct Service Staff's Perceptions Of Psychotropic Medication In Noninstitutional Settings For Individuals With Developmental Disabilities, Leeann Christian

Dissertations

Approximately 35-55% of individuals with mental retardation who live in the community are prescribed psychotropic and/or antiepileptic medication (Aman, Saphare, & Burrows, 1995; Singh, Guernsey, & Ellis, 1992). As more individuals with severe behavior challenges are transitioned from institutions into the community, these rates are likely to increase. Given these prevalence rates, it is important to determine whether staff who serve people with mental retardation are adequately educated about psychotropic medications. Previous studies (Aman, Singh, & White, 1987; Gadow, 1983; Singh, Epstein, Stout, Luebke, & Ellis, 1994; Singh et al., 1996) surveyed a variety of service providers in school and …

Characteristics And Perceptions Of Trauma Recidivists And Non-Recidivists, Vicki A. Keough

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Intentional Classroom Humor In Nursing : A Multiple Case Study, Joan Kay Ulloth

Dissertations

Problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived connections between the intentional use of humor in the nursing classroom and student learning in the cognitive and affective domains while seeking to understand student and teacher perceptions and responses to humor.

Method. This study used a case study approach and the end result is a multiple case study of three associate degree nursing instructors in the Midwest. The data collection methods included observations, interviews, and surveys. Data from the different sources were examined within and across cases for commonality or difference of experience. Connections were made between …