Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Application Of Culture Care Theory For Nurse Administrators And Managers, Ann Hubbert

Ann Hubbert

No abstract provided.

Meeting The Health Care Needs Of Miedically Underserved, Uninsured, And Underinsured Appalachians, Ida Slusher, C. Fletcher-Withrow, M. Whitaker

Ida Slusher

There is the need for critical changes in the United States health care system to meet the rising costs of health care and the massive number of people without health insurance. The Berea Health Ministry Rural Health Clinic (BHMRHC) is a nurse-managed, rural primary health care clinic that was designed to respond to the health care needs of the underserved, uninsured, and underinsured populations in a designated nine county area of Appalachian Kentucky. The process used in the development and implementation of BHMRHC is described as a model to assist in the future development of similar clinics.

The Use Of A Writing Group To Enhance Voice And Connection Among Staff Nurses, Rosanna Demarco, Susan Roberts, Genevieve Chandler

Genevieve E. Chandler

The aim of this study was to pilot test a group-writing intervention to decrease negative workplace behaviors. The pilot test demonstrated that cohesive and supportive relationships developed and allowed nurses to talk about important topics. The participants suggested that a writing group would be a forum that could be used by staff development educators to encourage nurses to support each other and develop their voices.

The Use Of A Writing Group To Enhance Voice And Connection Among Staff Nurses, Genevieve Chandler, R. Demarco, S. Roberts

Genevieve E. Chandler

The aim of this study was to pilot test a group-writing intervention to decrease negative workplace behaviors. The pilot test demonstrated that cohesive and supportive relationships developed and allowed nurses to talk about important topics. The participants suggested that a writing group would be a forum that could be used by staff development educators to encourage nurses to support each other and develop their voices.

Plato's Cave And Aristotle's Collections: Dialogue Across Disciplines, Donna Zucker, Dominica Borg

Donna M. Zucker

This paper describes a joint effort between the Department of Theatre and the School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. The purpose of this collaboration was to design and evaluate techniques commonly used in theatre programmes to help doctoral nursing students understand philosophical content. Various theatre workshop techniques were used in order to help them bring abstract ideas to physical life. In other words, these techniques and exercises help bridge theory and practice.

Perceived Nursing Work Environment Of Critical Care Nurses, Jeungok Choi, S. Bakken, E. Larson, Y. Du, P. Stone

Jeungok Choi

BACKGROUND: Different concepts and measures have been used to evaluate the work environment of nurses in hospital settings. There is increasing need for updated measurement tools that reflect the evolving nature of the work environment. OBJECTIVES: To report the psychometric properties of the Perceived Nursing Work Environment (PNWE) instrument, and to compare these results with those of other scales derived from the same background instrument: the Nursing Work Index-Revised. METHODS: The Nursing Work Index-Revised was used in a national survey of critical care nurses. Exploratory principal component analysis with orthogonal rotation was conducted. Psychometric properties were examined. Construct validity was …

The Role Of Hospital Design In The Recruitment, Retention And Performance Of Nhs Nurses In England, David Reid, David Armstrong, Michael Kane

David N Reid

The primary aim of the research was to explore whether hospital design has an influence on the recruitment, retention and performance of NHS nurses in England, and to further examine which aspects of design matter to nursing staff.

An Evaluation Of College And Low Income Youth Writing Together: Self Discovery And Cultural Connection, Genevieve Chandler

Genevieve E. Chandler

Although the health and healing effects of writing have been documented in the literature, most of the studies have focused primarily on individuals writing alone. This formative evaluation is a component of an intervention reported elsewhere. The evaluation describes the experience of low-income youth and college students ( n = 7) writing in a group during a 10-week workshop. The results revealed the development of protective processes of self-esteem, self-efficacy, coping strategies, social support, and cultural connections. In the weekly 2-hr writing sessions, using the Amherst Writers and Artists method, participants were encouraged to write their stories in their own …

Walt Whitman: Poet And Nurse, William Ahrens

William D. Ahrens

Comments on the life of Walt Whitman, American poet and a nurse by profession. Composition of poems on health, fitness and exercise; Services to the wounded soldiers during the Civil War; Recognition of the disease and infection inflicted on soldiers.

Making Meaning: The Creative Component In Qualitative Research, A. Hunter, P. Lusardi, D. Zucker, C. Jacelon, Genevieve Chandler

Genevieve E. Chandler

Findings in qualitative research are often wondrous and exciting, expounding new knowledge and perceptions previously unknown. Qualitative research requires the researcher to ponder and reflect on the data collected so as to find the meaning within. Helping researchers learn how to perform this step is not well discussed in the qualitative literature, yet this is one of the more crucial components of this type of research. In this article, the incubation, the meaning-making phase of qualitative research, is discussed in relation to the experiences of five researchers who have used traditional processes, models, metaphors, plays, pastiche, poetry, and quilt making …

The Master's Portfolio: Validating A Career In Advanced Practice Nursing, E. Hayes, Genevieve Chandler, D. Merriman

Genevieve E. Chandler

Purpose To describe the process of portfolio development and faculty review that offers graduate credit within a framework of structural empowerment and mentoring for documented educational and clinical accomplishments for family nurse practitioners (FNPs). Data Sources Selected literature and examples from one student's portfolio to illustrate the process. Conclusions The degree granting process assists certified FNPs to fulfill career aspirations through achieving graduate level education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, School of Nursing.

The Internal Process Of Therapeutic Touch As Nursing Action, Denise Coppa

Denise Ann Coppa

Therapeutic Touch (TT) is a complementary healing modality utilized by health care providers to reduce anxiety, accelerate relaxation, decrease pain, and boost the immune systems of clients. Although there is a standard in the literature as described by Krieger (1979), very little has been written about whether the core process of TT conforms to the standard and whether there are differences between the process as practiced in adults compared to children. ^ The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the core process of TT in adults and children as practiced and perceived by five professional nurses who had …

Making Meaning: The Creative Component In Qualitative Research, Anita Hunter, Paula Lusardi, Donna Zucker, Cynthia Jacelon, Genevieve Chandler

Donna M. Zucker

Findings in qualitative research are often wondrous and exciting, expounding new knowledge and perceptions previously unknown. Qualitative research requires the researcher to ponder and reflect on the data collected so as to find the meaning within. Helping researchers learn how to perform this step is not well discussed in the qualitative literature, yet this is one of the more crucial components of this type of research. In this article, the incubation, the meaning-making phase of qualitative research, is discussed in relation to the experiences of five researchers who have used traditional processes, models, metaphors, plays, pastiche, poetry, and quilt making …

Improving Faculty Publication Output: The Role Of A Writing Coach, Genevieve Chandler, Claire Baldwin

Genevieve E. Chandler

Publishing academic papers is recognized by faculty as vital not only to their careers, but also to the standing of their school within the university and the discipline. Although writing is perceived as a critical, high-priority task, it often has low follow-through behavior. To facilitate the publication output of our faculty, a part-time writing coach was hired. Blanchard's situational leadership II® model (1985), which tailors leadership style to the needs of the group, indicated a framework of coaching and support would best meet faculty writing needs. The literature further suggested that an ongoing coaching relationship in the form of a …

The Corporate Practice Of Medicine: Competition And Innovation In Health Care (Book Review), Linda Treiber

Linda A. Treiber

Review of the book "The Corporate Practice of Medicine: Competition and Innovation in Health Care," by James C. Robinson

The Three Critical Components In The Conservative Treatment Of Juvenile Osteochondritis Dissecans (Jocd): Physician, Parent, And Child, Bernard Cahill, Sara Ahten

Sara M. Ahten

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Side Effects In Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Receiving Combination Therapy, Donna Zucker, Barry Miller

Donna M. Zucker

This purpose of this descriptive study is to review the adverse effects of combination therapy, interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin, in a sample of patients with chronic hepatitis C who were part of a larger multi-center trial. The sample (n=13) was drawn from one hepatology practice in the northeastern U.S. This secondary analysis reported sums, frequencies, means and standard deviations for the sample. Patients who received 600 mg. ribavirin per day in addition to interferon alfa-2B (Arm A) showed a mean of 9.5 different types of side effects. Patients who received 1000-1200 mg of ribavirin in addition to interferon alfa-2B (Arm …

Caring And Gender (Book Review), Linda Treiber

Linda A. Treiber

Review of the book "Caring and Gender," by Francesca M. Cancian and Stacey M. Oliker.

Self-Care Agency And Self-Care Practice Of Adolescents, Ida Slusher

Ida Slusher

The purposes of this study were threefold: (a) to describe self-care agency, (b) to describe self-care practice, and (c) to describe the relationship between self-care agency and self-care practice in adolescents. The usefulness of Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (SCDNT) with adolescents also was evaluated. Participants in this study included 173 adolescents, 14 to 19 years of age. Data were collected in classroom settings in two diverse high schools. Denyes Self-Care Agency Instrument-90 and Denyes Self-Care Practice Instrument-90 were administered. Results revealed the presence of self-care agency and self-care practice. Although self-care practice was lower than self-care agency, a significant …

Clarification And Integration Of Similar Quality Of Life Concepts, Barbara K. Haas

Barbara Haas

Empowerment Of Graduate Nursing Students: A Dialogue Toward Change, Genevieve Chandler, S. Roberts

Genevieve E. Chandler

This article represents the first phase in exploration of empowerment of graduate advanced practice nursing students. This phase includes a review of the relevant literature on empowerment and discusses the applicability of this literature to current educational practice. The authors suggest that creating an empowering environment for learning necessitates dramatic change in teaching methodology and in faculty-student perspective about their roles. An ongoing dialogue among faculty and between students and faculty is proposed to begin to conceptualize this change. This article also presents a synopsis of a dialogue between the two authors intended to stimulate further discussion.

The Relationship Of Nursing Work Environment To Empowerment, Genevieve Chandler

Genevieve E. Chandler

This is an exploratory study of nurses' (~= 268) perceptions of work conditions. The theoretical framework was developed from Rogers' nursing model and Kanter's organizational theory. The principle of integrality from Rogers' nursing model was utilized. Integrality predicts changes in life process through the interaction of the individual and environment. Kanter's theory is more specific to the work areas with similar assumptions to Rogers specifically: The interaction between the individual and the work environment produces work behaviors. The sample was from two hospitals of similar size, purpose, and location in northeast Utah. The nurses were informed of the study through …