Education Commons^™

Fluctuating Cohesion: A Grounded Theory Study Of Nursing Students Engaged In A Hybrid Debriefing Format, Carol Lynn Senette

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Debriefing is a key component of simulation that promotes development of students’ reflective processes. Instructor-led debriefing (ILD) is considered the gold standard; however, research conducted over the past decade demonstrates the negative effects of anxiety on student reflection during ILD. Nursing students’ experiences with ILDs have been substantially investigated; yet scant research explores students’ perceptions and experiences of more learner-centered debriefing formats that deemphasize the instructor role.

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions and experiences of a hybrid debriefing format consisting of peer-led debriefing followed immediately by ILD. Specifically, I aimed to …

Increasing Nurses' Knowledge Of Advance Care Planning, Jocelyn K. Allen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Advance care planning (ACP) is a process that seeks to ensure patients receive medical care that is consistent with their values and preferences. The process has proven benefits for patients and their loved ones but is under-utilized in clinical practice. Nurses are capable of successfully supporting patients through ACP; however, they encounter barriers that prevent their engagement in the process. These barriers include a lack of knowledge regarding ACP, poor understanding of their role in the process, and a lack of confidence to embrace the practice.

The purpose of this DNP Project was to create an evidence-based educational intervention to …

The Impact Of Culturally-Tailored Education On Knowledge And Behavior Related To Screening And Lifestyle Management Of Blood Pressure In African Immigrants, Sarah Erskine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The number of African Immigrants in the United States is increasing. The prevalence of hypertension among Blacks, including African Immigrants are high. In addition to the increased susceptibility to hypertension, lack of disease awareness and unhealthy lifestyle are documented barriers to achieving adequate blood pressure control. The purpose of this project was to determine the impact of implementing a 30-minute, culturally-tailored, evidence based educational session on hypertension to promote knowledge and initiate behavior change in African Immigrants. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Blood pressures were measured and survey instruments such as the Hypertension Evaluation of Lifestyle and Management scale …

Animal Assisted Therapy And Support Animals, What Mental Health Professionals Know And Understand, Alexandro H. Velez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Animal-assisted therapy can greatly benefit mental health professionals with clients in and out of the school settings in many ways. It is believed mental health professionals are successfully implementing Animal Assisted Therapy, even though some are not. Mental health professionals who are not using Animal Assisted Therapy are not doing so as the result of various variables, such as lack of information, knowledge, training, certification and policies, which prevents them from using Animals Assisted Therapy with clients and the community. It is also believed some mental health professionals are using animals as part of therapeutic interventions without proper training. The …

Health Care-Associated Infection Prevention Outcomes: Evaluating The Link Between Infection Prevention Practices In Healthcare Facilities And Their Health Care-Associated Infection Rates, Chidinma Veronica Njoku

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are a pressing problem affecting vulnerable individuals who come to the hospital to receive care for one condition only to find that they have contracted another during their stay. Studies point to the importance of training and educating staff in order to implement and comply with recommended infection control and prevention control and prevention practices as lack of training and knowledge about infection control and prevention has been perceived to bring about a limited ability for direct care staff to adhere to recommended processes and activities. Although there are prior studies on the effects of assessments, infection …

Implementing A Heart Failure Education Program For Bedside Nurses In The Acute Care Setting, David L. Morrow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Heart failure is a chronic disease in which a weakened heart is no longer able to deliver adequate blood flow to supply the body with needed oxygen and nutrients. Heart failure is the most common reason for hospitalization in the United States for patients age 65 and over, accounting for over 1,000,000 hospital admissions annually. Due to the chronic nature of this debilitating condition and associated symptoms, patients discharged from the hospital with a diagnosis of heart failure are at high risk for readmission. Effective self-care behaviors have been shown to reduce readmissions and improve quality of life for these …

Assessing The Long-Term Effects Of A Cultural Immersion Experience On Nursing Practice, Karen H. De La Cruz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Cultural immersion has been identified as a preferred method of teaching cultural competence in undergraduate nursing education. Multiple qualitative and quantitative studies have shown that baccalaureate nursing students enjoy international learning experiences and, based on self-efficacy evaluations, feel they have increased cultural competency following immersion experiences. However, there is little evidence to indicate concepts learned during undergraduate cultural competency course work is retained or integrated into nursing practice after leaving the milieu of academia.

To inform future cultural competency educational efforts, I conducted a qualitative phenomenological study to provide a baseline of evidence regarding the impact of a cultural immersion …

Health Literacy Intervention For Low Income Uninsured Population, Laura Larson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Health literacy (HL) requires basic skills in writing, reading, numeracy, and communication all within a health context (Berkman et al., 2011). HL is a critical element for individuals to take an active role in managing their health. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy found only 12% of adults had a “proficient” HL level. Hispanics were found to be at greatest risk for lower HL than all other ethnic groups (Kutner, Greenberg, Jin, & Paulsen, 2006). Low HL can lead to poor health outcomes including: decreased utilization of preventative services, difficulty in managing chronic conditions, and increased disparities in access …

Mental Health Research Productivity Of Nasp-Approved School Psychology Programs: 2010-2015, Mala Nash

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the evident need for mental health support of children and adolescents, there are identified professionals prepared to provide services within the school setting. The school psychologist is considered a key resource for providing mental health services such as preventive and crisis response (Dwyer, 2004; Armistead, 2008). Based on our country’s mental health needs and the significant role that schools can make in meeting those needs, it is pertinent to take a closer look at the literature specifically related to mental health. This review focused specifically on the field of school psychology’s contribution to mental health literature and established a …

Electronic Health Record Instruction In First-Semester Nursing Students: A Comparative Study, Angela Ruckdeschel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The use of health information technology has been shown to have positive effects on patient outcomes and provider efficiency. New nurses make more than half of the 7 million life-threatening medication errors that occur each year, and electronic health records (EHRs) have been shown to significantly reduce these errors. Nurses now are expected to enter practice with a solid foundation in health information technology and the use of the EHR. Unfortunately, the vast majority of nursing schools do not specifically train their students in effective EHR utilization. Academic EHRs (AEHRs) are software packages with learning features that can be incorporated …

Concept Interview Assignment To Foster Intentional Learning In Nursing Students, Sarah Mollman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Intentional learning is the process of acquiring skills and attributes that facilitate knowledge attainment and application, and this process may foster learning skills and attributes in nursing students so they may thrive in student-centered nursing curricula and competently practice in today’s dynamic and complex healthcare system. The purposes of this study were to determine 1) if there are any associations between academic achievement and intentional learning and 2) if there is an effect of a nursing concept interview assignment on academic achievement and intentional learning scores in second-semester nursing students.

The majority of studies on intentional learning were quasi-experimental designs …

Using Pictorial Action Instructions To Train Low-Literacy Adults To Construct A Basic Humanitarian Engineering Project, Kathleen Paco Cadman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are often disproportionately faced with environmental hazards, which can cause adverse health outcomes. Although humanitarian engineering projects have been created to mitigate these hazards, LMICs are also frequently impacted by literacy deficits, creating a barrier in training low-literacy individuals to construct these projects. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop, refine, and test the usability of pictorial action instructions (PAI) in training low-literacy individuals to construct a humanitarian engineering project. A concept analysis was completed, including the creation of an operational definition, for “lay worker health literacy.” This analysis and definition set a foundation …

Clinical Instructors' Cultivation Of Pre-Licensure Nursing Students' Pharmacology Ksas, Rieneke Holman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Adverse drug events affect up to 5% of inpatients; half of these events are caused by preventable medication errors (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2015). Nurses are the final checkpoint between a medication being ordered and the patient taking it. This profound responsibility requires nurses to possess well-developed pharmacology knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs). To acquire these abilities, they must not only receive pharmacology content as part of their educational preparation, but also translate what they have learned during student clinical experiences. This is important in bridging the gap between what is learned in the

classroom and clinical practice. …

Succession Planning For Nursing Leaders In A College Of Nursing, Cheryl Ann Tucker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Institute of Medicine (2011) challenged nursing to ensure the nursing workforce includes a sufficient number of academic nurse leaders, nurse educators, and doctorally prepared nurses for the future healthcare needs of the people of the United States. National data reveals a fragile supply of academic nurse educators and leaders. This tenuous resource is shaped by multifaceted factors including: (1) an aging nursing workforce; (2) impending faculty retirements; (3) lack of qualified faculty; and (4) wage disparity between the academic and clinical settings. As these factors collide, it is imperative that academic nursing plan for the future by retaining, developing, …

Maintaining Nurses' Currency In Informatics, Jennifer Alaine Strawn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Technology has changed how registered nurses (RNs) provide care at the bedside. As more technologies are utilized to improve quality of care, safety of care, maximize efficiencies, and decrease costs of care, one must question how well the information technologies (IT) are fully integrated and utilized by the front-line bedside nurse in his or her practice. Despite the pervasiveness of IT in healthcare, there is a paucity of literature on how Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs) assure the ongoing education and training for nurses to maintain IT competencies in the practice environment.

From this author’s lived experience as a CNO, it …

Nursing Students’ Nonacademic Barriers To Success On High Stakes Exams, Jennifer Bussen Bussen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Every nursing program wants its graduates to pass the NCLEX-RN licensure examination the first time they take it. For those who fail, entry into practice is delayed until they can pass the NCLEX-RN. The nursing programs that graduated students who fail may experience a loss of reputation, decreased numbers of potential applicants, and, ultimately, state board of nursing sanctions. In an effort to determine which students are likely to be successful in taking the NCLEX-RN, many programs have turned to end-of-program predictor exams such as the Health Education System Inc. (HESI) exit examination (E2) (Lauer & Yoho, 2013; Nibert & …

Oral Microbial Burden Of Periodontal Pathogens Among Orthodontic Patients, David Jolley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objectives

Many research studies involving orthodontic patients have a natural inclination to focus on changes in levels of cariogenic pathogens after bracket placement, and very few studies examine the role of changes of periodontal pathogens – particularly among adult patients. Interestingly, recent evidence suggests that increased levels of a specific periodontal pathogen, Fusobacterium nucleatum, may elevate risk for development of colon cancer in adults through direct pathways. Based upon this new evidence, the objective of the current study was to screen saliva samples taken from orthodontic patients to determine the prevalence of periodontal pathogens, including F. Nucleatum, T. denticola, and …

The Impact Of Nursing Crew Resource Management Training On The Patient Safety Self-Efficacy Of Nursing Students, Deanne Marie Donaway

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Quality health care and optimal health outcomes begin by assuring patient safety. This is a shared responsibility of all health care providers. However, nurses have a fundamental obligation to assure patient safety, given their constant presence with patients requiring care. Patients who are cared for by nurses with insufficient or outdated patient safety education and knowledge can and often experience costly and catastrophic outcomes (Institute of Medicine (IOM), 2011). Medical errors now rank as the third leading cause of death in the United States and cost over 17.1 billion dollars/year (Makary & Daniel, 2016; Andel, Davidow, Hollander & Moreno, 2012). …

Student Motivation, Stressors, And Intent To Leave A Nursing Phd Or Dnp Program: A National Study Using Path Analysis, Delene Renee Volkert

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The growing need for nurse scientists and nurse faculty researchers has led to the call to double the number of doctorally prepared nurses by 2020 (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2010). Nursing has responded with more doctoral degree programs resulting in an increase from 122 DNP graduates in 2007 to 8,184 nurses who hold DNP degrees by 2013. PhD programs have also seen 5,306 graduates between the years 2004 through 2013 (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2014a). One troubling aspect that affects nursing and other doctoral programs is high attrition rates. A recent ten year longitudinal study from the …

Identifying Learning Acquired During Debriefing, Shelly J. Reed

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Debriefing, the reflective activity following an experiential learning exercise, has been identified as the most important part of simulation learning and is also important for learning in other activities utilized in nursing education. There is general agreement that debriefing provides learning and improves performance. However, there is little specific evidence about the phenomenon of learning acquired during debriefing, including how it occurs, how it is defined and identified, and how it is evaluated by debriefing facilitators. In addition, there are no instruments or tools specifically measuring learning acquired during debriefing. Without practical and theoretically grounded tools, simulation activities will continue …

The Relationship Between Clinical Teaching Models And Perceived Clinical Self-Efficacy And Attitude Toward Team Process, Christina H. Plemmons

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nurse educators are called to transform the education of nursing students, a process that is paramount to meet the needs of an increasingly complex health care system. The complexity of health care requires graduate nurses who are self-efficacious, yet also function well as full members of a health care team. In response to this call, clinical instruction, an essential component of nursing education, is receiving increased attention. Clinical education is vital, not only to the development of clinical self-efficacy, but also to the integration of future nurses into a health care team. To further this education process, faculty members from …

Delirium Education Program For Critical Care Nurses: A Mixed Methods Study, Meredith Padilla Padilla

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Approximately 10-30% of hospital admissions develop delirium where nearly 30-40% of the delirium cases are preventable. Non-detection rates by acute care healthcare workers were reported at 72-75%. Hence, it is crucial for hospitals to develop delirium education programs focused on early recognition and prevention. Thus, the purpose of this mixed method study was to develop and evaluate the effect of a delirium education program (DEP) on improving critical care nurses’ knowledge and self-confidence in identifying delirium and the associated risk factors. In the quantitative strand (Phase I) of the study, both the intervention and control groups completed the online pre-tests …

Eight Steps To Weight Loss: Development Of An Evidence-Based Collaborative Provider-Patient Workbook For Overweight Or Obese Adults, Katherine Ann Wagner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite decades of effort on the part of health care providers and policy makers to reduce the prevalence of obesity, the prevalence of obesity in the United States remains high (CDC, 2015). In the adult population ages 20 years of age and older, 35.7% are considered obese. The annual medical costs for people who are obese are $1,429 higher than people of a healthy weight (CDC, 2013). Obesity increases the risk for chronic health conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, coronary heart disease, stroke, asthma, arthritis, and cancer (Hammond & Levine, 2010). Over-weight and obesity are the main …

An Evidence Based Approach To Sepsis: Educational Program, Dolores Perez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Evidence-based guidelines for recognizing and treating sepsis have been available for decades, yet healthcare providers do not adhere to the recommendations. Sepsis can progress rapidly if not recognized early. Literature reports reveal that sepsis is the leading cause of death in non-cardiac intensive care units (ICUs), and it is one of the most expensive conditions to treat. A hospital in the Las Vegas, Nevada area had previously introduced sepsis management prescriptions in 2011 with no formal education of sepsis guidelines to nurses. The original hospital’s sepsis management prescription sets followed guidelines dated 2008. The purpose of this project was to …

Evaluating A Novel Approach For Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patient Education: Modified Team -~ Based Learning, Corine Belle Lazaro

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the world’s most serious health issues today is the increasing prevalence of diabetes (Chobev, Sotirovska, Mihajilov, 2011). Indeed, the growth of this widespread and pernicious disease has been categorized as epidemic. The antidote for the diabetes epidemic lies in prevention and the use of a chronic care model that focuses on improving diabetes self-management. For both diabetes prevention and self-management, a core component pertains to knowledge—and specifically to improved public health literacy, public health education, and patient education. For example, ongoing patient education is a critical factor in helping patients to manage their diabetes and prevent the micro- …

A Comparison Of Beliefs And Attitudes About Body Image, Eating And Weight Between Incarcerated And Non-~Incarcerated Females, Anne R. Lindsay

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Abstract

Incarceration and substance abuse are two of the largest public health issues in America. While the U.S. makes up only 5% of the world’s population, it accounts for 25% of its prisoners. Incarceration affects more than 2.2 million individuals who will eventually return to their families and communities with ongoing family, social and health issues. Women in prison are a particularly vulnerable and underserved population, generally of low education and socio-economic status and although they account for a small percent of the prison population, many are mothers of young children who are likely to become incarcerated themselves. Substance abuse …

Educators’ Perspectives Associated With School Garden Programs In Clark County, Nevada: Practices, Resources, Benefits And Barriers., Tomomi Murakami

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

School garden programs have been utilized in the U.S. since their introduction at the end of the 19th century. The use of school gardens and the teaching style implemented in them are dependent on individual schools and teachers. Educators’ attitudes, knowledge, and motivation for a school-based gardening program are crucial to implementing comprehensive school garden programs. To move toward an expansion of garden education, it is necessary to determine the concerns, resources, benefits or barriers that educators identify regarding the utilization of gardens to teach their students. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine principals’ and teachers’ perceived …

Survival Of The Fittest: The Role Of Linguistic Modification In Nursing Education, Brenda Strauch Moore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This project’s long term goal was to improve English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) nursing student retention. Improving the quality of multiple choice exams is a first crucial step. ESL students find multiple-choice exams to be one of the most challenging aspects of nursing school. One reason for this is the presence of linguistic errors in exam questions. Linguistic errors include: irrelevant question content, poor sentence structure, and culturally biased words or phrases. Non-ESL students are less affected because exams are written in their native language. Linguistic modification, as part of best practices in item writing, removes these types of errors. The U.S. Department …

An Assessment Of A 13-Week Teaching Gardens Intervention On Healthy Behavior Outcomes In 4th And 5th Grade Students At Crestwood Elementary School In Las Vegas, Nevada, Miranda Corgiat

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nearly 13 million children and adolescents are considered to be obese in the United States, with children enrolled in Clark County School District showing elevated overweight and obese weight statuses compared to national averages. Carrying an excessive amount of weight can lead children to experience a multitude of complications with their physical and mental health as well as increase their risk of developing various chronic diseases. The American Heart Association's Las Vegas Teaching Gardens program implemented a school-based garden pilot study to target environmental causes of obesity in 4th and 5th grade students at Crestwood Elementary School. The objective of …

The Lived Experience Of Nursing Students During Their Psychiatric Nursing Education: Does It Influence View Of Psychiatric Nursing As A Career Choice?, Lisa Mcconlogue

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Using a van Manen phenomenological approach combined with a Colaizzi step-wise data analysis procedure, this study seeks to describe the lived experience of recent nursing school graduates during their psychiatric didactic and clinical education and how the experience influenced their view of psychiatric nursing as a specialty choice.

Inclusion criteria for participants were registered nurses (RN) who graduated from their entry level nursing program within the last three years; graduated from a United States RN program; and are currently working as an RN in an inpatient setting. Two groups of participants were selected; one group of nurses who chose psychiatric …