Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Application Of A Judgment Model Toward Measurement Of Clinical Judgment In Senior Nursing Students, Tiwaporn Pongmarutai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Clinical judgment, defined as “the application of the nurse’s knowledge and experience in making decisions about client care” (The National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2005, p. 2), has been recognized as a vital and essential skill for healthcare providers when caring for clients. Undisputedly, nurses represent the largest component of the healthcare profession and, therefore, play a major role in ensuring quality patient care in the United States. Although the concept of clinical judgment in nursing has been discussed for more than three decades, and in spite of numerous efforts to improve student clinical judgment, the recent literature …

The Live Experience Of Non-Degree Learners From A Time Modified Traditional Baccalaureate In Nursing Program, Stephanie S. Deboor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

By the year 2016, it is projected that a million new and replacement nurses will be needed throughout the United States. The traditional 4-year baccalaureate program alone cannot adequately sustain this demand. The immediacy of the current nursing shortage demands our educational systems respond by building and maintaining a workforce that is sufficient to support the health care needs of our society. In an attempt to meet this challenge, nursing schools around the country began exploring the option of creating accelerated programs for those who already possess a bachelor's degree in another field without compromising the integrity and quality of …

Self-Efficacy And The Predictors For Nclex-Rn® Success For Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Linda Anne Silvestri

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX) is the examination that nursing graduates must pass to attain the title of registered nurse and practice professionally. Each year a substantial number of nursing graduates are unable to enter the nursing profession because of failure on the NCLEX. Failure on this examination is a concern, especially since this country desperately needs nurses. Currently, the United States (U.S.) is faced with a nursing shortage. This shortage significantly impacts the U.S. health care system and requires urgent attention so that the health care needs of the people in this country are met. …

Nursing Compliance With Standard Fall Prevention Protocol Among Acute Care Hospital Nurses, Anuradha Thirumalai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of the study was to determine the level of nursing compliance in implementing Fall Prevention Protocol (FPP) in an acute care hospital in a high fall risk patient population and to identify the barriers in complying. This study is important because falls are considered one of the nursing-sensitive quality indicators. The AACN Synergy model for patient care was used as the organizing framework for this study. A total of 24 nurses participated in the study, and a total of 29 high fall risk patients were assessed. The degree of compliance among nursing staff was measured using the modified …

Empirical Testing Of The Neuman Systems Nursing Education Model: Exploring The Created Environment Of Registered Nursing Students In Nevada’S Colleges And Universities, Diane H. Elmore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purposes of this paper are to: (a) present the strategies and rationale for creation of a middle range nursing theory that is specific to nursing education, (b) to determine if propositions of the model are valid and appropriate to support further research based on the student-centered education model, and (c) to conduct initial research on the created environment of nursing students, which is one of two the primary constructs of the nursing education model. Use of the Neumans Systems Nursing Education Model (NSNEM), a student centered educational model, which is consistent with the Neumans System Model (NSM) provided the …

A Grounded Theory Approach To Faculty’S Perspective And Patterns Of Online Social Presence, Rebecca A. Cox-Davenport

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research study was to generate a grounded theory regarding the patterns and perceptions of nursing faculty in the formation of social processes in an online course. Employing a grounded theory approach, this researcher built upon the theoretical concepts of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000). The CoI model illustrates the inner workings of the educational experience. The model consists of three main components: social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. These three elements overlap to demonstrate how each factor influences the other forms of presence. This study sought to better understand …

The Role Of Visual, Vestibular, And Somatosensory Systems In Postural Balance, Mary Grace Gaerlan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The integration of visual, vestibular, and somatosensory components are used to maintain one's postural balance. Postural control changes over time and body sway increases with age. The different sensory systems begin to develop and refine starting when children are young, while in older adults it begins to decline. Hence, it is important to study the changes that occur in postural balance. There is very little known about balance of younger adults. If balance issues are identified early in adult life it is possible to prevent exacerbation of balance decline as one ages. If nurse practitioners are aware of what dominant …

The Interim Window: Women’S Experiences During In Vitro Fertilization Leading To Maternal Embryo Attachment, Tammy Mackinnon Lampley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Infertility affects about 7.3 million women and their partners in the U.S., about 12% of the reproductive-age population. In vitro fertilization (IVF) has been used successfully in the United States since 1981. The number of women seeking artificial reproductive techniques (ART) has increased dramatically and the number of ART cycles performed in the United States has more than doubled, from 64,681 in 1996 to 134,260 in 2005 and 99% of these are IVF. Studies indicated that women rank waiting for the outcome of and IVF treatment and a negative pregnancy result as the most stressful events during their treatment. Although …

Cultural Competence Of Rn To Bsn Students, Dierdre Michelle Riley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this exploratory research study was to examine the cultural competence of registered nurses returning to school for an RN to BSN program in Nevada. Campinha-Bacote's model, The Process of Cultural Competence in the Delivery of Healthcare Services, was used as a theoretical framework for the study. A secondary analysis of data collected as part of a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Grant was completed. Fifty-three RN to BSN students voluntarily completed the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competency Among Healthcare Professionals- Revised (IAPCC-R) electronically in the learning management system of the first nursing course …

Attitudes Of Young Adults About Breastfeeding And The Association Of Breastfeeding Exposure, Cheryl Lynn Darby-Carlberg

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study was conducted to determine the attitudes of young adults in Clark County, Nevada about breastfeeding and was a replication of part of a study by Marrone, Vogeltanz-Holm, and Holm (2008). The theory for reasoned action was used as the framework to guide the study. This theory explains deliberate behavior and how specific behaviors, such as breastfeeding, are affected by individual attitudes and social support. The research is a cross-sectional correlational study and sought to test two null hypotheses: (1) There is no association between previous exposure to breastfeeding and positive attitudes toward breastfeeding, and (2) There is no …

Team-Based Learning: Engagement And Accountability With Psychometric Analysis Of A New Instrument, Heidi Ann Mennenga

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With calls for transformation, innovation, and excellence in nursing education from national bodies of nursing, nurse educators must determine the best possible teaching strategies to meet educational standards. Team-based learning, an innovative teaching strategy, offers educators a structured, student-centered learning environment and may be more effective than current teaching pedagogies in meeting the needs of nurse educators.

The purpose of this study was to (a) examine differences in student engagement between baccalaureate nursing students taught using team-based learning and those taught using traditional lecture, (b) examine how levels of engagement affected examination scores, (c) examine potential differences in student examination …

Advance Practice Nurses Readiness To Change Assessment Methods In Parents Of Obese Children, Carolyn Leach

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The worldwide epidemic of child and adolescent overweight and obesity continues to increase at disturbing rates. Unhealthy dietary practice is one of multiple causative behaviors leading to child and adolescent overweight and obesity. This behavior can contribute to short and long-term health consequences. Parents are modulators in the development of children's dietary behavior practices. It is recommended clinical practice that pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) assess readiness to change behavior in parents of overweight or obese children. The components of the Prochaska and DiClemente's Transtheoretical Model (TTM) in correlation with the counseling style of Rollnick, Miller and Butler's methods of Motivational …

Asthma Severity In School-Children And The Quality Of Life Of Their Parents, Noelle S. Cerdan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background . The everyday management of a child with asthma can affect the parent's quality of life. Past studies which examined the effects of asthma characteristics of the child on parental quality of life have not reached a consensus over findings. Few studies examine parent characteristics such as mental health and sociodemographics on the quality of life of parents of asthmatic children.

Purpose . To examine the effect of asthma severity of school-children and sociodemographic characteristics onthe caregiver's quality of life. It also investigates whether agreement exists between the caregiver's perception of asthma severity and physician-diagnosed asthma severity.

Methodology . …

Implications For Nursing Practice: Delivering The Folic Acid Message, Kimberly Townsend Little

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In 1995, North Carolina (NC) had one of the highest prevalence rates of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the United States. Since the NC Folic Acid Council began focusing their efforts on educating women of childbearing age regarding NTDs in 1994, the prevalence of NTDs has declined overall by 40%; however, NTD prevalence among Hispanics in NC continues to be double the rate of non-Hispanics. Research has found daily consumption of a multivitamin with folic acid significantly decreases NTDs. Healthy People 2010 include in their objectives the need to increase folic acid consumption in women and reduce the NTD rates. …

Filipino Physician-Turned Nurses: A Phenomenological Study, Victor Rey Cui Vapor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Foreign nurses have augmented the United States nursing workforce. The Philippines has remained the world's leading exporter of nurses, including the United States. More recently, a new phenomenon has emerged involving Filipino physicians who went back to school to take up nursing in the Philippines in order to migrate to foreign countries to work as nurses. The purpose of this study was to describe and to interpret the lived experiences of Filipino physician-turned nurses in the United States. Phenomenology was used as research design, with data obtained from a purposive sample of eight (8) self-identified physician-turned nurses in Las Vegas, …

The Meaning Of Being A Primary Nurse Preceptor For Newly Graduated Nurses, Jennifer Richards

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Preceptorship is a vital component of the transition experience of newly graduated nurses into clinical practice. Preceptors teach, supervise, and evaluate newly graduated nurses, and also help them socialize into their roles as registered nurses. In the presence of an ever-growing nursing shortage and evidence that many new nurses are leaving their first positions, it is of paramount importance that we make every attempt to ease the transition of newly graduated nurses into clinical practice. Additionally important is the need to understand the experience of all involved in the process.

The primary purpose of this study was to achieve a …

From School To Practice: The Meaning Of Nurses' Holistic Comfort, Michal Goodwin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nurses entering the healthcare arena are likely to encounter a gap in preparation from school to practice. Despite well-intentioned transition programs, nurses struggle to keep up with the reality of demanding schedules, stressful work environments and non-nursing tasks, such as their own comfort. Holistic comfort, a well-known concept in patient care, offers an innovative approach to nursing education to sustain new nurses transitioning into practice. This phenomenological study explored how nurses who experienced holistic comfort in their schooling were able to use the same philosophical approach to transcend unavoidable difficulties early in their careers.

Newly practicing nurses from a program …

Biofeedback Assisted Relaxation Training Program To Decrease Test Anxiety In Nursing Students, Catherine Andrea Prato

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nursing programs have been cited as being among the most stressful undergraduate programs. Students' knowledge and skills are consistently tested and monitored, and students may fail a course or be dropped from their nursing program if scores are not above a certain standard. Anxiety reactions are common to situations perceived as threatening; however, excessive anxiety may paralyze an individual and interfere with effective learning, functioning, and testing. Numerous studies have found increased anxiety causes physiological changes including increased respirations and heart rate, and decreased peripheral skin temperature. The purpose of this study was two fold. First test anxiety was measured …

Job Satisfaction Comparison Between Foreign Educated Nurses And U.S. Educated Nurses, Kari Zizzo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The current nursing shortage has impacted the profession and resulted in desperate recruitment of immigrant nurses to work in the U.S. Low job satisfaction is a factor implicated for the high nurse turnover rates, which contributes to further shortages and recruitment. Satisfaction amongst all nurses has been assessed in past research to address these issues; however no research per se has compared job satisfaction of nurses who obtained their nursing education in the U.S. to nurses who obtained education in other countries. It was the purpose of this study to compare these groups to identify any differences in job satisfaction. …

Factors That Contribute To Nursing Job Satisfaction At Valley Hospital, Christopher Jones

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The United States is in the midst of a nursing shortage and it is expected to get even worse in the coming years due to several trends. These trends include the aging of the workforce where many nurses will be retiring in the next few years, the low enrollment in nursing schools, nurses leaving the profession for other fields of work and the lack of interest that many people are showing towards a career in nursing.

Nevada "Nurselessness": An Acute Or Chronic Condition? An Examination Of The Etiology And Possible Treatment Alternatives, Jeanine Warren-Newmon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Data released by the Department of Health and Human Services in February, 2001, revealed that Nevada has the lowest number of registered nurses per 100,000 population in the nation. The state’s population is growing faster than the nursing programs are currently able to produce new graduates. Current predictions are that the existing nursing shortage will become more severe and have a longer duration than has ever before been experienced. While there may not be one single identifiable causative factor, the aging nursing workforce, low unemployment, and the universal nature of the shortage magnify the problem. This paper focuses on the …

Retaining Intensive Care Nurses In Las Vegas: The Importance Of Nurse Manager Leadership, Megan Vendetti

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In today's healthcare climate, retaining staff nurses is desirable and may be a more permanent solution to improve the nursing shortage. Employing a leadership style that is conducive to staff nurse job satisfaction may be needed to achieve that goal. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of the unit manager leadership style with job satisfaction and intent to stay in the intensive care setting. Staff nurses in two Las Vegas hospitals, one private and one public, were surveyed. A questionnaire was developed and voluntarily completed by 125 registered nurses employed in adult and pediatric intensive care …

Nurses, Pharmacists, And Information Technology In Public Healthcare, Larry Allen Malato

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore the healthcare professional’s experience during the implementation of information technology. The focus is on the implementation of a computerized medication ordering, dispensing, and tracking system in acute care departments of a 600- bed public hospital. Spradley’s qualitative, ethnographic research methods were used to discover the personal meaning of the implementation. How do pharmacists and nurses feel about the implementation of an advanced technology system? Are there any barriers to implementation? Findings suggest a resistance to implementation by professionals in the disciplines of Pharmacy and Nursing. Resistance is based on their perceptions of …

Gender Differences In Presenting Symptoms, Treatment, And Outcome In Myocardial Infarction, Alona Dalusung-Angosta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purposes of this study were to compare the presenting symptoms, treatment, and outcome between men and women with MI. The study sample consisted of 300 patients (N = 300) who were diagnosed with MI in a county hospital in the Southwest area of the United States.

Chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating, and left arm pain were the most common symptoms reported by both genders. Men had more chest pain than their women counterparts (p = .022). No significant difference was found in the cardiac enzyme levels between both genders. Men had more Q wave changes during MI than …