Digital Commons Network^™

Google Glass In Nursing Education: Can Baccalaureate Nursing Students Use Wearable Technology To Access Knowledge At The Point Of Care?, Paula Peter Byrne

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Technology use is ubiquitous in nursing, therefore it is vitally important that pre-licensure nurses have opportunities to develop nursing informatics skills and abilities that prepare them to practice in an ever-changing environment filled with technology. This quantitative, qualitative, interpretive, descriptive pilot study takes an established teaching method (simulation) and evaluates how baccalaureate nursing students can use an emerging disruptive technology (EDT) to impact decisions at the point of care. Eleven (100%) of the participants successfully completed two tasks using Google

Glass, (GG): (a) they accessed data at the point of care; (b) completed a Situation Background Assessment Response (SBAR) report …

Strategies To Increase Compassion Satisfaction And Reduce Compassion Fatigue Among Hospital Nurses, Christy Morton Secor

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Nursing is one of the most rewarding, but also one of the most difficult professions related to the toll it can take physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually on its members. Standards and expectations for nurses are high, as they should be, given the nature of the work and the manner in which nurses interact with their patients and communities. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses describes the values, virtues, and obligations of nursing practice in this way:

Nursing encompasses the protection, promotion, and restoration of health and well-being; the prevention of illness and injury; and the …

Self-Efficacy: The Key To Smoking Abstinence?, Karen Mary Gmitro Prieto

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Objectives: The aim of this project was to determine if strategies designed to increase self-efficacy would improve smoking cessation rates in an adult outpatient population when compared to traditional smoking cessation practices.

Background: There are many challenges when individuals try to quit. Inability to quit and relapse are common. Identifying the most effective strategies to address both the physical and behavioral aspects of nicotine dependence is necessary to support smoking abstinence. In the literature, a causal relationship exists between high levels of self-efficacy and improved smoking cessation rates.

Methods: A feasibility study, using a pre- post-test design was used to …

Perceptions Of Nurse Anesthesia Post-Certification Fellowship Training: What Have New Graduate Registered Nurse Fellowships Taught Us?, Leah M. Gordon

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

With the increased educational requirements for entry into practice for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), post-graduate fellowship training interest and implementation is on the rise. Specialized experiences in all fields of healthcare help to expand the level of information that characterizes the specific discipline, and offers evidence to maintain the delivery of patient care. This has been evident with the new graduate

registered nurse fellowships which have demonstrated that they will prepare nurses with advanced knowledge, skills, and experiences for the betterment of patient care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate what Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNA) perceive …

Dancing Around Technology And Nursing Informatics: Can Wearable Technology Challenge Educators To Propel Informatics Content Into Baccalaureate Curricula?, Paula Peter Byrne

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

A more current example of disruptive innovation is The Internet of Things (IoT), a term that describes the expanding network of physical objects that feature an internet provider address allowing connectivity and a wireless communication between these objects and other Internet-enabled devices and systems. The IoT significantly changes the relationship between people and devices, and with increased Broadband access, it allows people to share data effortlessly and seamlessly. Connections can be people-people, people-things, and things-things. Increasingly, everyday objects like a refrigerator, car, or baby monitor are designed to have network connectivity allowing them to send and receive wireless data. Current …

Assessment Of Student Nurse Anesthetist Feelings About A Post-Certification Pediatric Fellowship, Leah M. Gordon

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Specialty training for the newly graduated Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) is a concern of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetist (AANA) Council on Accreditation (COA). In response to this, in 2014 the COA announced the implementation of new guidelines for the creation of specialty post-certification fellowships. The purpose of this study was to assess present student nurse anesthetist (SRNA) experiences with pediatric patients, and, to determine if they would have an interest in specialty pediatric training post certification. This study was conducted June of 2015. It was hypothesized that student nurse anesthetists would

have a great interest in post-certification …

An Issue Of Ethics: Nurse Educators Knowledge Deficit Of Transgender Health And Experience, Laurie Ann Sieve

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

In 2015 the American Nurses Association published the newly revised Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements. This document delineates, via nine provisions, a guide to ethical analysis and decision making for the professional nurse. Included in the provisions are respect for human dignity, accountability for nursing judgments, decisions, actions, and integration of social justice to address social determinants of health. In recent years transgender patients have become more visible and vocal. Recent surveys indicate transgender patients face many obstacles when attempting to secure health care. Further, recent research indicates there exists a knowledge deficit of transgender health …

Nurses’ Perceptions Of Community Health Workers In Health Care, Karen Macdonald De Jong

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore registered nurses’ and social workers’ experiences working with community health workers (CHWs) in clinics and homecare.

Six nurses participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. Analysis of interview transcripts revealed that CHWs are considered vital members of the health care team. Their expert knowledge of community resources and ability to bridge cultural and language gaps make them ideally placed to impact social determinants of health. The role of the CHW is evolving.

Team building and role clarity are essential elements for successful integration of CHWs on health care teams. The investigator was unable to …

Seeing The Person In The Patient Through Nurse Presence: Cultivating Nurse Presence Through Education To Impact The Patient Experience, Julie Blank Neumann

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Patient centered care guided by the nurse patient relationship is at the heart of nursing. The current healthcare environment places greater value on the nurses’ technical competencies over their behavioral competencies. Nursing must show the value behavior competencies have on the patient experience. Foundational to the profession is that nurses provide holistic care that embraces being present for the patient. The aim of the study was to determine what impact an education activity “Nurse Presence through Attunement” had on the patient experience. Mixed methods were used to investigate the impact of an educational intervention using Koloroutis and Trout’s (2012) model …

Registered Nurses’ Perceptions Of Community Health Workers, Karen Macdonald De Jong

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Objective: The objective was to explore the experiences of Registered Nurses and Licensed Social Workers who work directly with Community Health Workers (CHWs) in health care. Design and Sample: A descriptive qualitative design was utilized. Six registered nurses participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audiotaped. Content analysis consisted of identifying themes and patterns that emerged from the narratives.

Results: Three themes were identified, 1) the importance of role clarity, 2) relationship building, and 3) filling in gaps in care.

Conclusions: Nurses consider CHWs to be vital members of the health car team. CHWs’ extensive knowledge of community resources and their …

Compassion Fatigue: A Concept Analysis, Christy Morton Secor

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The foundation of the profession of nursing is caring. Nurses have led in Gallup polls as the most trusted profession in both honesty and ethical standards (Riffkin, 2014). This rating has been true every year since their inclusion to the survey in 1999 except in 2001, the year of the 9/11 attacks, when firefighters were named the most trusted profession (Riffkin, 2014). The public’s trust is well-founded.

Nurses provide care for patients, families, and communities during times of stress, acute and chronic illness, trauma, and end-of-life in diverse environments. Nurses seek to form a relationship of trust whether in the …

Montessori Mathematics Curriculum And Lower Elementary Students Understanding Of Length Measurement, Katherine L. Mcintosh

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The intent of this action research project was to determine to what extent the Montessori Mathematics curriculum support lower elementary students’ understanding of length measurement. The research took place in a private Montessori school classroom with first and second-grade students. There were 22 students in the class, 11 first graders, and 11 second-graders. Data was collected through a pre and post-test, field notes, and observations. The students also kept a journal and performed self-assessments. Photographs were taken to record the students’ use of different measurement tools. Children’s literature about length measurement was read and discussed with the students. The data …

Success Of English Language Learners: Barriers And Strategies, Brita Bostad R, Stephanie A. Cwikla, Jacob L. Kienzle

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

For this report, the researchers sought to gather more information on the success of mainstreamed ELL students from both exited students and their content teachers. The researchers' aim was to see how teachers assessed these students’ academic needs, how these students felt about the accommodations executed by their teachers, and where these mainstreamed students were finding success. Furthermore, researchers wanted to gain information on the perceptions of the teachers working with these students. Information was gathered at two different high schools within the same district by interviewing and surveying both mainstreamed ELLs and their content teachers. Student transcripts were also …

Creating A Graduate Level Interprofessional Ethics Course For Health Science Students: A Systematic Approach, Joshua Hardin

Master of Arts/Science in Nursing Scholarly Projects

Interprofessional collaboration in practice is an important skill, but creating interprofessional courses is challenging. Healthcare ethics is ideal for interprofessional education because no one discipline has authority over the subject. Most ethics courses for health science students, however, are based on the expertise of the instructor. In an interprofessional course, it is difficult for an instructor from one discipline to divine the needs of students from another field. The purpose of this paper is to methodically develop a graduate level ethics course for health science students based on a systematic review of the literature. The results are clear recommendations for …

Integrated Learning In Simulation: Theoretic Foundations Based On Carper’S Patterns Of Knowing, Shannon Villar

Master of Arts/Science in Nursing Scholarly Projects

Nursing education is a lifelong process. It is dynamic. Nurse educators strive to develop student-centered collaborative teaching strategies. Simulation serves as strategy to teach clinical reasoning skills and prepare students to provide safe, effective patient care. Increasing patient acuity and lack of clinical sites make simulation an essential and integral part of nursing education. This paper demonstrates the value of using Carper’s (1978) fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing as a theoretical foundation for the integration of simulation-based learning experiences in nursing education.

Providing Culturally Appropriate Physical Therapy To Somali Refugees In Minnesota, Jessica J. Scholl

Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership Theses

Minnesota is home to the largest community of Somali refugees in the United States (Pavlish, Noor, and Brandt, 2010, p. 353). The Somali community has unique healthcare needs that current Western medicine is not meeting adequately. The Somali living in Minnesota are at risk for increased rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions due to the change in lifestyle, eating habits, and stress caused by moving to the United States. The purpose of this research is to identify the healthcare needs, preferences, and practices of the Somali refugee community in Minnesota to better inform and guide physical therapy clinicians …

Employee Contributions To Organizational Decision-Making Processes And Outcomes, Melissa A. Bearth

Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership Theses

An organizations’ ability to make the right decision at the right time is critical to its success (Wernz & Deshmukh, 2010; Roberto, 2013). Given the importance of effective decision-making to organizations, it is not surprising there is significant research on this topic. However, most analysis and research focuses on the role leaders play in organizational decision-making. I believe a holistic approach to decision-making needs to take into account employees’ contributions to decision-making processes and outcomes. The purpose of my study is to add to the body of literature on organizational decision-making, and provide both leaders and employees with information on …

Nurse Presence: A Concept Of Importance To The Patient Experience In A Cardiology Unit, Julie Blank Neumann

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The economics of health care is front and center in the minds of health care professionals. Terms such as quality metrics and pay for performance are in everyday discourse and have impacted how the direct care nurse provides patient care. Today’s nurse must find an approach to balance the technical and the human side of care delivery to provide an optimal patient experience. Holistic care that incorporates being present with the patient is foundational to the Nursing profession. Analysis of qualitative data from both patient and nurse focus groups in a cardiology acute care unit revealed the

following themes: communication …

The Impact Of Creating Visual Arts On Reading Comprehension In Third Grade Students, Erica M. Mathieson

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The intent of this action research study was to determine how integrating visual arts activities into reading lessons could impact students’ literacy skills. The study took place in a suburban elementary school and included both male and female students, aged eight to nine years old. The data was collected using comprehension tests, student/teacher reflections, and information gathered from the students’ artwork. Student literacy skills did show gains as a result of this intervention. The study also exhibited ways in which visual art teachers can be valuable participants in the push to integrate literature into other content areas. Creating visual artwork …

Universal Response Methods, Kristen J. Nordstrom, Robert L. Mathis

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this research was to identify which student response system when used during formative assessment would increase student engagement and learning. Students responded utilizing the Socrative application on iPads and individual white boards with markers on student response cards. The participants in this study were a group of five male students ages 1114 enrolled in a selfcontained (setting IV), emotional and behavioral program. We used various data collection methods to gather evidence that included ontask behavior, questions answered correctly, questions attempted, time spent in class, and student reflections. Our data showed that students were more inclined to be …

The Impact Of Student Editing And Error-Based Instruction On Writing In A Fourth-Grade Classroom, Erin T. Hinton

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of the action research project was to determine the impact of self- and peer-editing and error-based instruction on student writing. The study took place in a fourth-grade classroom. There were 22 students who participated in the study. Data was collected through a writing self-reflection, weekly pre- and post- writing samples, an editing checklist, and an error tally sheet. Data was also collected through teacher observations. The results indicated that self- and peer-editing strategies along with error-based instruction had a positive impact on student writing. Although errors continued to persist within the students’ writing at the end of the …

Improving Letter Name Knowledge In Primary Montessori, Melissa Sue Brodin

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research investigated letter name knowledge gain from integrating a selection of Orton-Gillingham methods into a private Montessori Primary classroom. The methods incorporated included letter name and sound drill, three-letter word practice, vowel game, and sand writing. Eight students, four and five years of age, were included in the study. Sources of data collection include student artifact, teacher assessment, student attitude inquiry, and teacher observational data. Students displayed an overall increase in attitude toward learning letter name and six out of eight students showed an increase in letter name knowledge for both uppercase and lowercase letters. Because of the …

Absenteeism, Building Relationships, And Standards-Based Grading, Patricia M. Romaine, Heather M. Sinkler

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project investigated the effectiveness of standards-based grading and additional student contact time with chronically absent students in Family and Consumer Science (FACS) classes. The study included 160 ninth- through twelfth-grade students in various FACS classes. Data was collected from pre- and post-intervention self-assessments to gain an understanding of students’ feelings about coming to school and FACS class. Grades and attendance were documented at the beginning, middle, and end of the study. Anecdotal data was gathered from conversations with students during an optional homework club. Standards-based grading and building relationships helped 50 percent of the students improve their …

Use Of High-Level Questioning To Increase Student Achievement In Reading, Amber A. Remark, Emily M. Ewing

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project explored the impact of asking students higher-level questions during guided reading instruction to increase reading comprehension and engagement. The study took place with eight students in two different on grade-level guided reading groups in a second and a third grade classroom. Baseline data was collected before students were presented increasingly higher-level questions over the course of six-weeks and a post-assessment was given to monitor students’ growth in the areas of comprehension and engagement. Data collected during the study included comprehension pre and post assessments with scoring rubric, pre and post reading attitude surveys, weekly teacher observation …

Parent And Infant Occupational Performance In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Ashlea D. Cardin

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Projects

The earliest of occupational therapy interventions often commence in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where mothers and fathers begin learning how to parent in unexpected surroundings and with unexpected complications. This project seeks to present an innovative approach to neonatal occupational therapy practice, framed using the Person-Environment- Occupation-Performance (PEOP) Model (Baum et al., 2015). A phenomenological approach was employed to build a picture of understanding by gathering and recording information about context, insights, events, and influences on parent and infant occupational performance in the NICU. Qualitative methods were used to explore the concept of occupational and co- occupational performance …

Program Development For Occupational Therapy Education In Haiti: Strategic Planning And Case Statement, Janet O'Flynn

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Projects

The profession of occupational therapy is not yet recognized in Haiti. An opportunity opened in 2012 to start professional educational programs in occupational therapy and physical therapy at a Haitian university. Operational planning, strategic planning, and fundraising began informally. In 2015 a formal planning process was held. The method for this case study was program development, using mission and vision, SWOC analysis, and goal setting. A Logic Model was used for writing a case statement and letters of inquiry for grant funds. Conclusions were that fundraising work was crucially important, flexibility was needed to respond to unpredictable external factors, and …

Utilizing Montessori-Based Occupational Therapy Interventions For People With Dementia, Jill Victoria Fyksen

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Projects

The Montessori Method for dementia is a specific approach to dementia care that can be implemented as an alternative to pharmaceutical intervention with its focus on purposeful and meaningful doing. Montessori-based interventions that were found effective in increasing self-feeding for people with dementia included activities requiring hand-eye coordination, scooping, pouring and squeezing. For this project, there were five participants from a residential care facility. This study consisted of doing activities or exercises to simulate eating right before mealtime. This occurred three times per week for eight weeks. The broad long-term purpose of this project was to increase participation in the …

Exploring The Use Of Cam And Its Influence On The Spiritual Lives Of Christian Religious Professionals, Jennifer L. Collins, Cynthia J. Sampers

Master of Arts in Holistic Health Studies Research Papers

Religion and the Church; medicine and healing. Interconnected before the time of Descartes, these integral domains have experienced significant change in recent decades as people have become disillusioned with conventional biomedicine and institutional Christianity. More people are seeking holistic forms of healing—perhaps once again reuniting body, mind, and spirit, as a bone resetting from a centuries-old fracture or dislocation. The purpose of this research is to explore the use of Eastern and energy-based forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by Christian religious professionals. Based on a qualitative culture of inquiry, we conducted 10 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with individual clergy …

The Importance Of A Creative Arts Program For Senior Housing Residents, Therese A. Wengler

Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy Theses and Projects

The goal of this interdisciplinary quasi-experimental mixed methods study with older adults living in congregate senior housing was to describe participants’ experience of a creative arts program and evaluate its impact on quality of life. Fourteen older adults completed this study. The program was offered weekly for 2 hours over a 12-week period. The quantitative outcome measures included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), the Short Form-36 (SF-36) quality of life measure, and the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults (ATTA), a test of creativity. None of the quantitative outcome measures showed significant improvements after the intervention …

The Healing Properties Of Writing For Persons With Mental Health Issues, Adrienne M. Ero-Phillips

Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy Theses and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine therapeutic writing through the experiences of persons with mental health diagnoses from the perspectives of occupational science and occupational therapy. Personal writing is the use of the writing process to cultivate and express fulfillment and contentment. This qualitative study was the third phase of a larger research endeavor on the healing properties of writing by the principal investigator. A phenomenologically-based study was designed utilizing interviews as well as inductive and deductive analysis by two previous student researchers in 2010, with additional sub-questions on how writing affects societal issues by the current student …