Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Humor As A Teaching Strategy: The Effect On Students' Educational Retention And Attention In A Nursing Baccalaureate Classroom, Mohammed Ahmed Alkhattab

Nursing Master Theses

With the rapid development in nursing education systems, nurse educators struggle to find effective teaching strategies for their students. Using humor as a teaching strategy with nursing students can be helpful in improving many areas of their education. The review of literature showed a lack of studies on the effect of using humor in nursing education. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of using humor as a teaching strategy on the educational retention and attention of sophomore nursing students. The setting for this study was a college of nursing at a Midwestern university. The participants were …

The Role Of Internal Communication And The Effect On Employee Engagement, Cherie Gaither

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

The purpose of this project was to build and evaluate internal communication interventions that would enhance employee engagement. The desired outcome of the communication team’s efforts was to show a significant increase in employee engagement, as compared to peer institutions.

Nursing Student Receives Tylenol Future Care Scholarship, Bethany Brock

News Releases

Ashley Short, a junior nursing student minoring in cross-cultural nursing, is one of 40 recipients of the Tylenol Future Care Scholarship out of over 25,000 students who applied.

Effectiveness Of A Pilot Gerontological Nursing Certification Preparation Support Program For Registered Nurses Working In Long Term Care, Gail B. Sprigler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Between 2000 and 2025 there will be a 30% increase in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in Indiana (Alzheimer’s Association, 2010). Many individuals with AD and related dementia are cared for in long term care communities. Adequate knowledge and expertise of nurses caring for older adults, particularly those with dementia, is important for the delivery of quality care and the promotion of quality of life for residents living in long term care. This pilot project examined the benefit of a resource support program to encourage Gerontological Nursing certification for registered nurses in the long term care setting.

Implementation Of Shared Governance, Sheryl Glasscock

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Implementation of shared governance in any facility presents challenges for leadership as well as the nursing staff. The implementation of shared governance for this organization yielded positive results operationally, and for the development of nursing overall.

Adoption Of Innovation: Impact Of Rituximab (Rituxan®) Faster Infusion On Oncology Nurses' Perceptions, Practice, And Resource Utilization, Keith Dawson

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

The translation of advances in clinical research into clinical practice in a manner that provides benefits while reducing potential harm is a challenge within the health care delivery system. Data from a phase III multicenter clinical trial led to the 2012 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a 90-minute infusion of rituximab (Rituxan) starting at Cycle 2 for patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma who did not experience a Grade 3 or 4 infusion-related adverse event during Cycle 1. The 90-minute rituximab faster infusion will result in a significant change in how nurses in the United States have been administering …

Quality And Safety Education In Newly Hired Rns And Rns In Staff Leadership Roles, Dennis Alan Bertch

Doctoral Dissertations

The intent of this project was to examine the potential knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) gap of practicing bedside registered nurse (RN) care providers regarding the quality and safety education for nurses (QSEN) core competencies. Based on this perceived gap two key questions were explored: (a) do newly hired RNs and RNs in staff leadership roles demonstrate an understanding of the KSAs of the QSEN core competencies?; and (b) was there a difference in the understanding of the KSAs of the QSEN core competencies related to RN educational preparation, years of RN experience, and/or previous quality improvement training within and …

The Associations Of The Level Of School Wellness Policy Implementation And School Nurse Activities To Weight Status Of School Children In Massachusetts, Mary Jane F. O'Brien

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The increase in prevalence of childhood obesity has prompted child health authorities to propose mandates focusing on population health efforts that may be implemented in public schools. In 2010, the federal government passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, reinforcing the 2004 regulations to guide school districts in development and implementation of school wellness policies.

The purpose of this secondary data analysis was an examination of the association between implementation of the school wellness policy and school nurse activities to the absolute change in percent of students with body mass index in the obese weight category between the school years 2005-2006 …

Exploring Healthcare Simulation As A Platform For Interprofessional Education, Janice Christine Palaganas

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Interprofessional education (IPE) is gradually recognized as essential to patient safety and implemented as a standard for healthcare education through professional organization recommendations and accrediting bodies. Given the increasing adoption of experiential and team-based learning, healthcare simulation (HCS) has become a preferred vehicle for IPE. As healthcare professional educators explore simulation as a platform for IPE, a need to better understand the state of the science has become apparent. This descriptive comparative study examines how the most commonly used simulation modalities and IPE teaching methods (low-technology versus high-technology; multiprofessional versus collaborative team-based activities; observational versus active methods; standardized patients versus …

Refinement Of The Shared Care Instrument-Revised: A Measure Of A Family Care Interaction, Margaret Sebern

Margaret Sebern

This study’s purpose was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Shared Care Instrument-Revised (SCI-R) in a sample of family care dyads. The SCI-R was developed to measure the construct of shared care, which is a system of three constructs (communication, decision making, reciprocity) used in family care to exchange support. An important aspect of evaluating the SCI-R was to create a measure that is statistically sound and meaningful for patient and caregivers. Surveys were mailed to randomly selected home health dyads, which included 223 patients and 220 caregivers. Reliability and confirmatory factor analysis, and concurrent validity were examined. Internal …

Shared Care, Elder And Family Member Skills Used To Manage Burden, Margaret Sebern

Margaret Sebern

Aim. The aim of this paper is to further develop the construct of Shared Care by comparing and contrasting it to related research, and to show how the construct can be used to guide research and practice. Background. While researchers have identified negative outcomes for family caregivers caused by providing care, less is known about positive aspects of family care for both members of a family dyad. Understanding family care relationships is important to nurses because family participation in the care of chronically ill elders is necessary to achieve optimal outcomes from nursing interventions. A previous naturalistic inquiry identified a …

Patient Hand-Off, Amy Cuddington, Olivia Johnson

Pharmacy and Nursing Student Research and Evidence-Based Medicine Poster Session

During a patient‘s stay in the hospital, many nurses will be involved in that patient’s care. It is vital that nurses communicate well during change-of-shift report to ensure quality and continuity of care. According to the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare, 80% of serious medical errors occur due to miscommunication between health care providers when patient responsibility is handed-off. The Hand-off Communications Project found that over 37% of handovers were defective and did not allow the receiver to safely care for the patient. Defective hand-off can lead to patient harm, delayed or improper treatment, and increased length of hospital …

Sleep Disturbances In Mental Health Care: A Review Of Literature On Nursing Interventions, Sarah Jungbauer, Kara Taylor

Pharmacy and Nursing Student Research and Evidence-Based Medicine Poster Session

Sleep is essential in the repair and renewal of cells and tissues. It allows the body to recover from the wear and tear of life’s daily activities, slows metabolism, decreases heart workload, relaxes body muscles, and preserves energy. Sleep deprivation caused by psychological disorder can cause anxiety, euphoria, irritability, and memory impairment. Insomnia is associated with depression, anxiety disorders, deficient work performance, drug abuse, and reduction in productivity. The purpose of this study is to determine what nursing interventions are available to improve the sleep quality of mental health care patients.

Health Literacy, Cognitive Impairment, And Medication Adherence In Veterans With Heart Failure, Lee Ann Hawkins Phd

Dissertations

Background: Heart failure (HF) affects 5.8 million people in the United States, costly in terms of patient mortality and morbidity as well as healthcare dollars. One important manifestation of poor HF outcomes is the excessive admission-readmission cycle. Non-adherence to medication is responsible for the majority of HF readmissions. Identification and intervention for key factors contributing to poor medication adherence is critical to improving outcomes. Two such factors prevalent in persons with HF are cognitive impairment (CI) and poor health literacy (HL). There is a paucity of tested interventions designed to improve medication adherence by addressing underlying CI or HL. A …

Public Health Nurse Decisions Regarding At-Risk Postpartum Case Closure, Denise K. Thompson Phd

Dissertations

During the late 19th century, public health nursing emerged in the United States as an autonomous nursing specialty providing maternal-child health (MCH) home visitation services. Present day MCH public health nurses (PHNs), guided by their predecessors, focus on health promotion and disease prevention in at-risk maternal-child populations. Health policies, funding streams, and local public health nursing protocols are examples of extrinsic factors that may affect length of home visitation services for at-risk women and their children. The purpose of this study was to better understand the factors related to variations in PHN decisions to terminate home visitation services for at-risk …

The Effect Of Education On Rehabilitation Nursing Staff Knowledge, Kristen L. Mauk

Kristen L. Mauk

Rehabilitation is a specialty area with defined competencies and discrete nursing knowledge. Unless nurses have been educated in the basic competencies of rehabilitation, they are not prepared to provide safe, quality rehabilitative care to patients with chronic illnesses and disabilities. An evidence-based practice project was designed to address the need for education of the nursing staff working on an inpatient rehabilitation unit in Northwest Indiana. Roger's Diffusion of Innovations provided the theoretical framework for the project. A critical appraisal of the literature was conducted to determine best practice. The literature showed that education increased knowledge in a specialty area, and …

Nurses Alumni Association Bulletin, Fall 2012, Susan Albrecht Curcio, Sarah Hindson Wagner, Jane Ryan Dietrich, Aileen Ishuin Macmillan

Nursing Alumni Bulletins

2012 – 2013 Meeting Date Calendar

2013 Annual Luncheon & Meeting Notice

Officers, Committee Chairs, Satellite and Volunteers

Bulletin Publication Committee

President’s Message

Treasurer’s Report

Resume of Minutes

Office News

Committee Report

• Social
• Relief Trust Fund
• Satellite - Harrisburg Satellite Area
• Scholarship
• Nominating
• Bulletin
• By Laws

Annual Giving

Janet C. Hindson Award

• Award Criteria
• Award Recipient and Nominees

News About Our Graduates

Memories

Era Ending (Part Three)

Happy Birthday – To Be 80 or More

50th Anniversary Class Lists for 1962

Luncheon Attendees

Luncheon Photos

Luncheon Comments

1963 – Anniversary Class List for 2013 Annual Luncheon

In Memoriam, Names of …

A Framework Of Academic Persistence And Success For Ethnically Diverse Graduate Nursing Students, Margaret J. Bull, Judith Fitzgerald, Josie L. Veal

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

The goal of this qualitative study was to examine how ethnically diverse graduate nursing students persisted with academic studies. Ethnically diverse nurses are vastly underrepresented in the workforce. This problem is accentuated by high attrition rates in academic programs. A grounded theory approach was used. Five focus groups were conducted with 16 ethnically diverse graduate students in nursing and interviews were conducted with two diversity advisers. Analysis of the data indicated that the process of learning to balance stressors with moderators was key to academic persistence and retention. A conceptual framework emerged from the data that provides a guide for …

Oncology Nurses' Obstacles And Supportive Behaviors In End-Of-Life Care: Providing Vital Family Care, Renea L. Beckstrand, Joan Collette, Lynn Callister, Karlen E. (Beth) Luthy

Faculty Publications

Purpose/Objectives: To determine the impact of obstacles and supportive behaviors in end-of-life (EOL) care as perceived by hospital-based oncology nurses.

Design: A 69-item mailed survey.

Setting: National random sample.

Sample: 1,005 nurse members of the Oncology Nursing Society who had provided EOL care for patients with cancer.

Methods: Three mailings yielded 380 usable responses from 912 eligible respondents, resulting in a 42% return rate.

Main Research Variables: Size and frequency of EOL care obstacles and supportive behaviors for patients with cancer in a hospital setting.

Findings: Results of this research demonstrate the need for more EOL education and help in …

Obstructive Sleep Apnea And The Effects Of Co-Existing Factors On Pacu Stay Time, Shari F. Jones Phd, Crna

Dissertations

Significance/Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common disturbance during sleep affecting 30% of the population. The occurrence of moderate/severe OSA is 11.4% in men and 4.7% in women. OSA is caused by repetitive partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway with apnea episodes. OSA is prevalent in western society, yet is frequently undiagnosed due to lack of knowledge of the disorder. This population presents a challenge during the peri-operative period due to increased risk for several complications. Of particular interest to Nurse Anesthetists, are respiratory complications that result in delayed emergence from anesthesia, delayed post-operative recovery, increased …

Case Study Of Parents Caring For A Child Having Type-1 Diabetes With Optimal Hga1c, Elizabeth Ciaccio Phd

Dissertations

Type 1 diabetes in school age children is a complex condition requiring continuous physical, nutritional, and therapeutic monitoring to prevent lifelong complications and maintain quality of life. In 2011, one in 400 children in the United States were affected by it. The purpose of this research study was to understand how parents achieve optimal HgA1c for their school age children with type-1 diabetes. Currently, there is very little research documenting how parents achieve this goal. Understanding this phenomenon more clearly can be used to inform future research, improve practice and provide information for development of effective health policy. Management of …

School Of Nursing Newsletter July 2012, Southern Adventist University School Of Nursing

School of Nursing Newsletter

The July 2012 issue of the newsletter features articles on the acquirement of new manikins, mission service in Haiti, graduate programs, the visit of Japanese nursing students, and a welcome to Callie McArthur as the new Simulation Coordinator.

Growing Our Own: A Proposal For The Development Of A Nurse Mentoring Program, Dawn M. Zeches

Theses and Graduate Projects

The process of mentoring is not a new concept in the world of business or in the world of health care. Mentoring has been implemented in many organizations and disciplines throughout the world and has been shown to yield many benefits including employee satisfaction, personal and professional growth, and organizational loyalty. This paper proposes a process to develop a nurse mentoring program for the Department of Nursing at Mayo Clinic. Highlights of the benefits that can be realized with the implementation of a nurse mentoring program, supporting literature and research, and challenges and barriers encountered when developing this proposal will …

Center For Health Science Research Newsletter, June 2012, Center For Health Science Research, Michelle Hammet

Center for Health Science Research Newsletter

The Research Newsletter is published by the Center for Health Science Research, College of Nursing. This publication is intended to highlight the latest in College of Nursing academic & research updates, opportunities, people, events, achievements, and goals.

Short Of Transformation: American Adn Students' Thoughts, Feelings, And Experiences Of Studying Abroad In A Low-Income Country, Cynthia Foronda, Ruth Belknap

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

ADN students are a large yet distinct subgroup of nursing students who require research and understanding. The purpose of this study was to describe the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of American associate degree nursing (ADN) students who participated in a short study abroad course in a low-income country. A qualitative, narrative method was used. Three categories emerged from the analysis. Participants revealed thoughts of “constant comparisons”, feelings of an “emotional journey”, and they experienced “learning”. Participants did not demonstrate perspective transformation as defined by Mezirow as participants signified no intent for social action. Several potential blocks to perspective transformation were …

Relevancy=Qsen + Complete Baccalaureate Curriculum Redesign, Charlene M. Smith

Nursing Faculty/Staff Publications

Faculty in the WSON opted to consider a complete curriculum redesign of the baccalaureate nursing program to assure relevancy to practice. A quality improvement process was used to accomplish the curriculum redesign.

Smoking Cessation Education: A Prescription And Opportunity For Change, Amanda Aust

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Tobacco usage is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Smoking claims the lives of people more than acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, alcohol, accidents, homicides, suicides, fires, and drugs combined (Green & Briggs, 2006). In 2009, 46 million people in the United States were estimated to be smokers (Regents of the University of California, 2011). Despite the availability of guidelines to assess and provide smoking cessation interventions to patients, a disconnect exists in nurses being able to implement these guidelines. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to determine if an educational intervention for nurses about smoking cessation, as compared …

Center For Health Science Research Newsletter, May 2012, Center For Health Science Research, Michelle L. Hammett

Center for Health Science Research Newsletter

The Research Newsletter is published by the Center for Health Science Research, College of Nursing. This publication is intended to highlight the latest in College of Nursing academic & research updates, opportunities, people, events, achievements, and goals.

The Effect Of Heart Failure Education On Intermediate Care Unit Nursing Staff's Knowledge Of Heart Failure, Self-Care, And Best Practice Guidelines, Carol Budgin

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disease affecting nearly six million people in the United States with an annual cost of nearly 33 billion dollars. If nurses are inadequately prepared to care for and/or educate patients with HF, evidence-based (EB) nursing care will be suboptimal and hospital readmission rates with the subsequent increased costs for care will continue to soar. To address their higher-than-national average HF readmission rates, an EB nursing project was implemented at a local, urban community hospital to assess intermediate care unit (IMCU) nursing staff’s knowledge of HF, selfcare, and best practice guidelines. The Rossworm & Larrabee …

Use Of Standardized Mastery Content Assessments Given During The First Year Of A Baccalaureate Nursing Program For Predicting Nclex-Rn Outcomes, Deanna Jan Emory

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between standardized content specific mastery assessments and NCLEX-RN outcomes. Three content-specific standardized assessments testing Fundamentals, Pharmacology and Mental Health concepts were used to explain the dichotomous NCLEX-RN outcome of pass or fail. The three assessments were developed by Assessment Technologies Institute, LLC (ATI). The assessments were administered to baccalaureate nursing students (N = 119) during the first year of a nursing program in one public university over a period of five consecutive semesters. Group comparisons between those passing and those failing NCLEX-RN on the first attempt and correlations were calculated …