Digital Commons Network^™

Effectiveness Of Team Member Education On Fall Prevention Techniques, Management Of Dementia-Related Behaviors, And Safe Transfer Completion, Maureen C. Doran

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Projects

Introduction: There is a significant need to address fall prevention in memory care/assisted living homes due to the high prevalence of falls that occur in these settings. Managing dementia-related behaviors and completing safe transfers support fall prevention in dementia populations. Fall prevention was expressed as a major need by BeeHive Homes of Mount Horeb, a memory care specific assisted living home that served as the community partner for this quality improvement project.

Purpose: The quality improvement project provided education and training to team members working at BeeHive Homes of Mount Horeb on safe transfer completion, management of dementia-related behaviors, and …

Accessible Outdoors: Preparing Volunteers And Staff To Work With Diverse Populations, Ellen Hiestand

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Projects

Despite recent advances in outdoor recreation accessibility, many people still face barriers to spending time in nature. This doctoral capstone project was completed in partnership with outdoors equity organization Wilderness Inquiry to address outdoor accessibility through an occupational therapy lens. This project aimed to enhance knowledge and confidence of Wilderness Inquiry staff and volunteers on topics related to working with individuals with physical or neurodivergent abilities during Wilderness Inquiry activities. Needs for training topics were ascertained through survey, interview, and observation of organizational activities. The quality improvement project included the development, dissemination, and evaluation of educational modules on the topics …

Communicating The Need For Continued Funding To Non-Profit Stakeholders: The Impact Of Education On School-Aged Girls In Senegal, Allison Roehl

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Projects

Where would you be without an education? A safe place to call home? Or rather, where do you want your education to take you? These questions were asked to female students in Tambacounda, Senegal upon receiving funding for a newly built hostel wall and classroom resources. This portfolio describes the development of a Senegal program presentation that reflects the impact that Sisters Rising Worldwide (SRW) funding has on vulnerable communities and further the need for continued funding from donors to support these programs. This also includes the creation of student and Sister surveys as well as a SRW donor survey. …

Increasing Access To Outdoor Play For Families Of Children With Disabilities, Tina Dalki

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Projects

Background. There are various benefits, supports, and barriers which contribute to participation in outdoor play for children with disabilities. Rainbow Tree Therapies (RTT) and its community face various accessibility challenges that limit outdoor play participation.

Purpose. The purpose of this project was to develop educational materials and resources for families of children with disabilities who have experienced accessibility concerns.

Approach. The approach of this project can be divided into 4 activities: (1) evaluation of RTT, (2) creation of accessible garden planters, (3) development of educational materials, and (4) analysis of survey results.

Outcomes. There were seven survey responses, all of …

Educating Using Plain Language: Nighttime Postural Care Assessment Training Package, Faye Mcguire

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Projects

Background. There is a lack of high-quality research and inadequate training available to healthcare professionals and caregivers on Nighttime Postural Care (NTPC). Purpose. The purpose of this project was to 1) develop a training package on NTPC assessments to educate caregivers of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and the research team, and 2) educate clinical scientists on plain language.

Approaches. The author used the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and Program for Research Institute of Medicine and Science (PRISM) Editing Checklist to evaluate training materials and generated recommendations. Volunteer research team member representatives completed the training and pre-post training …

Assistive Technology And Older Adults: Education To Support Evidence-Based Practice, Danielle Erler

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Projects

Background: In 2020 there were over 54 million older adults in the U.S. (USCB, 2020). Nearly 90% of these older adults intend to live in their homes and communities for as long as possible (AARP, 2011) although nearly 40% of individuals 65+ report having at least one disability (USCB, 2014). Community partner LiveLife Therapy Solutions (LLTS) seeks to provide assistive technology (AT) services to community-dwelling individuals of all ages, supporting their independence. They have recently branched out into the aging sector. Continued education can aid practitioners in use of evidence-based practice (EBP) to support older adults (Stetler et al., 2014). …

Nursing Competency Alignment Project (Ncap), Lainey S. Kotta

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: The lack of a standardized nursing competency model for a large healthcare organization prevented it from opportunity as a system.

Objective: This evidence-based project's purpose was to select a nursing competency model that a large healthcare organization will use to evaluate nurses, standardize nursing competency training language for the healthcare organization, develop an education plan for nurse educators on the selected nursing competency model, and develop an implementation plan for the nursing competency model.

Methods: This project utilized a three-cycle Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) change framework. Cycle One involved nursing leaders from the eight hospitals and 60 clinics of the large …

I See You, I Feel Me: Journaling For Confidence, Value, And Collective Efficacy Among Partner Teachers, Laura L. Asher

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research sought to determine whether implementing a journaling practice that combined observation with self-reflection would improve the collective efficacy of an educational team. The research took place over one month in the single, early childhood classroom of a private Montessori school in the Midwest. Four partner teachers participated in the study: owner, director, and assistants. The project began with team-building exercises emphasizing open communication. The intervention required participants to record daily observations of partner teachers with corresponding reactions into personal I See You, I Feel Me journals. Data was collected through weekly attitude assessments, pre- and post-intervention focus …

The Toxic Triangle: A Qualitative Study Of Destructive Leadership In Public Higher Education Institutions, Carrie S. Schneider

Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership Theses

Destructive leadership is prevalent in organizations today and it produces harmful outcomes to both individuals and organizations. Destructive leadership is more than destructive behaviors exhibited by those in positions of authority within an organization; destructive leadership is a cocreational process involving a destructive leader, susceptible followers, and a conducive environment, or what is commonly referred to in the literature as the toxic triangle of destructive leadership. Institutions of public higher education seem an unlikely atmosphere in which destructive leadership would manifest and there is minimal research on destructive leadership in institutions of public higher education. This qualitative research gathered information …

Improving Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Access In The Emergency Department, Travis A. Reddinger

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Intravenous access is commonly needed in the emergency department for lab testing, medication administration, imaging, and hospital admission. Complications may arise in patients who are critically or chronically ill, dehydrated, IV drug users, have large body mass, or poor vascularity. Ultrasound can allow the medical professional to visualize the vessel beneath the skin and confirm the placement of an intravenous catheter. The use of ultrasound requires education and hands-on training so the user becomes proficient and comfortable with use. Restrictions placed during the Covid-19 pandemic required the implementation of electronic education modules (vs. in-person delivery) to train staff on …

Enhancing Prenatal Education, Jeannie W. Ribbel

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends delivering ongoing, timely, and relevant prenatal education in order to achieve high-quality care (ACOG, 2017). As the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic continues to threaten the health and well-being of the population, organizations nationwide are beckoned to consider strategies on how to safely address care needs while limiting clinic encounters. Creation of a standardized, patient-centered pathway through the use of an online platform is an alternative format for providing guidance and support to expectant families. Narrowing the content complexities encompassing an entire pregnancy, project focus centralizes on enhancement of first …

Orienting Clinical Nurse Instructors Through A Virtual-Based Curriculum, Lindsay M. Schipper

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Onboarding and orienting clinical nursing faculty is a challenging endeavor for all involved. Clinical education is vital to shaping the future nursing workforce, requiring faculty who are well prepared to guide this learning. Preparation for the clinical faculty role requires:

•Familiarity with the clinical environment,

•Understanding of organizational policies and procedures, and

•An overview of the teaching role.

The intended outcome of this quality improvement project was to develop an innovative, three-phase virtual-based clinical nurse instructor orientation and onboarding platform based on principles of adult learning theory, learner-centered delivery methods, and varied teaching strategies. National League for Nursing (NLN) competencies …

Teaching Peace: The Effects Of Concentrated Interaction With Anti-Racist/Anti-Bias Media On A Montessori Guide’S Practice, Sarah Streyle

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this self-study was to examine the effects of concentrated interaction with anti-bias/anti-racist media on a Montessori guide’s practice. It was conducted over a total of six weeks. The intervention included a pre- and post- survey of understanding, nightly media interactions, daily reflection journaling, daily tallies of anti-bias/anti-racist thoughts during the school day, and a daily confidence scale to measure the participant’s confidence to integrate anti-bias/anti-racist concepts into her teaching practice. The study was completed at a private Montessori school in a medium-sized midwestern town, with an early childhood classroom of fifteen three- to five-year-old students of diverse …

Employee Benefits Managers’ Understanding Of Occupational Therapy And Their Influence On Employees’ Knowledge, Andrew D. Noble

Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy Theses and Projects

This study investigated what employee benefits managers know about occupational therapy and the influence they have on employees’ knowledge of, and access to, occupational therapy services. This qualitative research focused on what employee benefits managers know about occupational therapy, how they learned what they know, how they prefer to learn about healthcare services in general, and the reasons they would or would not recommend occupational therapy services to their employees. The study included ten semi-structured interviews with ten employee benefits managers who were employed at nine different organizations. The interviews were coded and analyzed to develop categories and themes in …

Developing Multi-Modal Education For Obstetric Critical Care Nurses, Colette Henke, Rebecca Kojak

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the United States continue to outpace other industrialized nations. Across the United States, a variety of obstetric critical care programs have emerged to address the unique healthcare needs of the high-risk obstetric population. One teaching and specialty hospital in a Midwest metropolitan city responded to the needs of high-risk obstetric patients by developing a critical care program within its service line. Because high-risk obstetric patients present with multi-faceted and complex needs, this program represented varied nursing expertise, including obstetric and intensive care specialties. Because care was delivered within the ICU setting, nurses from …

Effectiveness Of A Delirium Prevention Initiative On An Inpatient Neuroscience Unit, Teresa Cyrus, Brenda Hall, Rebecca Wenthold

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The MIND project is an Interprofessional Evidence-based Clinical Scholar project aimed at delirium prevention for acute care neuroscience patients. The MIND Project stands for Meeting the Inpatient Needs of Delirium and included three objectives. The first objective was to increase nurses’ knowledge of delirium prevention and improve their confidence in identifying delirium. The second was to design a volunteer program to assist health care staff in preventing delirium. The third objective was to establish an ongoing monitoring approach for ensuring continued improvement in preventing delirium.

Behavioral Effects Of Outdoor Learning On Primary Students, Makena Cameron, Samantha Mcgue

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Children have an innate sense of curiosity about nature. “When children come in contact with nature, they reveal their strength” (Montessori, 1967, pg. 69) and therefore, outdoor education can be a useful learning tool for students. Whether being outdoors or bringing the nature-based activities inside, children have the opportunity to work with all of their senses. A growing number of schools around the United States have begun adding outdoor learning to their curriculum (Lieberman & Hoody, 1998) to bring a positive outcome to students’ behavior. Outdoor learning provides another environment that children can thrive in and hopefully benefit from. As …

Building Self-Efficacy As A First Year Primary Montessori Teacher, Lucy Trower

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to increase the self-efficacy of a first-year teacher, with a focus on increasing the subject’s comfort with the autonomy required of the position. The subject teaches in a Montessori classroom of preschool-aged children (designed for 3-6 year olds, serving 3 year olds) at a young school in an urban environment. This was done through interventions that focused on factors of vicarious experience and social persuasion, as informed by Albert Bandura’s research. Data was collected through surveys that measured self-efficacy, satisfaction with life and job satisfaction, and through daily physical, mental, and emotional scales. Written …

Educating Parent English Language Learners On Healthy Routines For Children, Angela Burla

Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy Theses and Projects

The purpose of this project is to examine whether the linking of school music routines focused on literacy skills to home activities and programming is a viable and sustainable learning option for immigrant and refugee families, as well as to examine the sustainability of this program for non-musician staff at Learning in Style (LIS). (LIS, located in Minneapolis, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Consociates, St. Paul Province.) The project serves the adult English language learning students who attend LIS and their children who attend the childcare program. It will also serve the staff who …

Trauma-Informed Care: Training And Implementation In The Foster Care System, Danielle Norgren

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

In 2015, there were 14,680 children in out of home care, which was a 9% increase from 2014 (Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2016). All of the youth in the foster care system have experienced an Adverse Childhood Experience (Garcia et al., 2017), which makes them vulnerable to mental health illnesses and many different medical conditions. If a youth presents with behavioral issues and/or mental health illnesses, the common forms of interventions that they receive are medications and psychotherapy. Trauma-informed care (TIC) has been proven to be a beneficial approach when working with the youth in the foster care system. …

Montessori Family Education, Katharina Vidojevic

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Montessori family education is a stepping stone in forming a bridge between school and home. This action research is focused on increasing familial attendance in Montessori education classes. Using quantitative and qualitative research methods are important tools in discovering the needs of the school community. Attendance, Likert scales and feedback questionnaires were useful tools in reaching out to the familial community. Implementing the changes based on the research results showed a drastic increase in attendance. With families leading busy lives, the school meeting them half way showed positive quantitative and qualitative results. This study had a maximum of 28 families …

Practicing Freedom: Effects Of Personal Anti-Racist Engagement On A Montessori Educator's Experience, Maggie Mccaffrey

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This self-study was designed to assess the effects of engagement with antiracist media on the work of a Montessori educator in the classroom. Conducted over eight weeks, the study used nightly readings, daily reflections, a tally of daily antiracist thoughts, and a scale of one through five measuring the participant’s optimism regarding the integration of antiracist pedagogy with Montessori philosophy and practice. The study was performed at a racially and economically diverse private Montessori school in a Midwestern metropolitan area in a class of twenty children ranging from 2.7 to 5 years old. The results indicated that, although the intervention …

The Quest For Inclusive Cultural Competence In Social Work Education, Retchenda George-Bettisworth

Doctor of Social Work Banded Dissertations

The focus of this banded dissertation is to gain a better understanding of how undergraduate social work programs are guided to provide culturally competent practice across the curriculum. Critical Race Theory (CRT) informs this scholarship.

For the first section, the author completed a content analysis of the historical EPAS to determine how CSWE guides programs in culturally competent practice. The study finds that concepts of culturally competent practice are throughout the editions of EPAS in the language, and in both the implicit and explicit curricula. However, findings suggest CSWE needs to reframe the concept of cultural competence as a multi-dimensional, …

Examining Interdisciplinary Education And Collaboration In Higher Education, Sarah Migas Collins

Doctor of Social Work Banded Dissertations

This banded dissertation contains three related products examining interdisciplinary education and collaboration in higher education, and discussing implications for research, curriculum development, and social work. Specifically, it addresses the role of interdisciplinary education in social work programs, and examines students’ perceptions of interdisciplinary education and collaboration. Bronstein’s Model of Interdisciplinary Collaboration serves as a framework to guide this banded dissertation.

The first product is a conceptual analysis examining the need for social workers to develop interdisciplinary skillsets. It discusses the extent to which interdisciplinary skill-building curricula exists in baccalaureate social work programs, offers an explanation about the barriers that stifle …

Psycho-Social Variables Contributing To Disparities Of Hmong Students In Postsecondary Education, Mai Yang Moua

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Statistics show that only 14.4% of Hmong students age 25 and older held bachelor’s degrees ( US Census Bureau, 2012) and 27% of Hmong live in poverty in the United States (UNPO, 2014). These are alarming statistics when compared to other racial and ethnic groups. The following systematic review was conducted to answer the research question: What psycho-social variables contributing to disparities of Hmong students in postsecondary education? Previous research articles included peer reviews and dissertations that were published after the year 2000. The databases used to collect relevant research were EBSCOhost (Academic Search Premier), Google Scholars, and JSTOR using …

Creation Of The Myth The Lived Experience Of Native Americans In Schools, Michael Olson

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Native Americans are one of the lowest preforming racial groups in the United States public education system. Native Americans have among the lowest graduation rates, low post-secondary attendance, and are overly represented in special education. A review of the literature provides insights on the dynamics of academic oppression. This research attempts to add to a great deal of quantitative research on different forces of oppression by providing the daily lived experience of Native American youth attending public schools in the United States, which has not been fully researched. The purpose of this study was to answer the question: what is …

View Of Self And Its Effects On Higher Educational Goals In Mexican-American Youth, Rebekah Simpson

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The Latino population is the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, with 276,000 people identifying as Hispanics in Minnesota (Gonzalez-Barrera & Lopez, 2013). As the population continues to grow in number, more Latino students will continue to fill classrooms across the state. However, in 2012, only 53% of Hispanic students in Minnesota graduated high school, in comparison to 84% of white students (Race, 2012). The Latino population is the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, with 276,000 people identifying as Latino in Minnesota (Gonzalez-Barrera & Lopez, 2013). As the population continues to grow in number, more …

Effects Of Mentorship On Teacher Classroom Preparedness At The Secondary Level, Kent Janikula

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to see what effect a teacher mentorship program would have on teacher’s classroom preparedness at a public Middle and High school in the rural Midwest. Twelve teachers participated in the six-week study; six were mentors, the other six mentees. All teachers completed a self-evaluation at the beginning of the study. In the first week, teachers were interviewed regarding aspects of the mentorship program and how it had affected their level of preparedness for the classroom. During the study, mentees filled out time sheets recording how much time they were spending outside of the school …

Moral Distress And Resilience In Nursing: The Code Is The Cor, Jamie Ann Reuvers

Master of Arts/Science in Nursing Scholarly Projects

The profound impact of continued moral distress in nursing has led the profession and nurse educators to search for an effective means to alleviate the insidious plague of pain and anguish that nurses carry due to moral residue. The Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements proves to be the very heart of nursing and the foundation upon which the profession builds its moral resilience. Nurse educators must strive to incorporate ethics and the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretative Statements throughout the nursing curriculum to further the full moral development and resilience of nursing students.

Understanding The Lived Experience Of Practicing Nurses And Their View Of Leadership, Kelly Sanocki

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The healthcare environment is constantly changing and since nurses represent the largest number of healthcare providers, nursing is well positioned to lead in the transformation of healthcare. However, not all nurses recognize themselves as leaders because of a perceived lack experiential knowledge or training. Understanding the leadership perceptions of nurses in practice is important, especially as increasing numbers of novice nurses are hired into positions that have historically been reserved for experienced nurses. For example, more novice nurses are hired into home care positions that require self-directed practice and the ability to demonstrate leadership abilities is called for. This qualitative …