Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Sociolinguistic Dimensions Of Nurse Practitioner Practice: A Question Of Power, Merrily J. Allen Dnsc, Mn, Rn

Dissertations

Ethnographic methods were used to examine the sociolinguistic dimensions of female nurse practitioner interactions with female patients. The purpose was to provide a contextual account of the discursive practices used by the nurse practitioners during routine office visits with female patients. Direction for this research was provided by my concern about power inherent in professional-client dyadic relationships. Data collection methods included formal and informal interviews, participant observation and audio taping nurse-patient encounters. Nine nurse practitioners and 26 patients participated in the study in both private and public ambulatory care settings. Data analysis yielded two concurrent story lines which I labeled …

University Students' Personal Histories And Alcohol Programs: A Naturalistic Study, Alexandra E. Michaels

Dissertations

Using a naturalistic inquiry approach, this study sought to generate (a) new insights into the troubling problem of student alcohol abuse as well as (b) a new theoretical basis for alcohol programs. The purpose of the study was to provide a comprehensive understanding of the experiences and characteristics of college students who have discontinued abusive drinking. Using an interview methodology, three main issues were examined: (1) the environmental and personal factors that influenced the participants' drinking behavior and related problems, (2) the factors which hindered or assisted participants in setting and achieving a goal of sobriety or establishing a nonabusive …

The Effects Of Training And Experience On The Ability To Detect Relapse Precipitants In A Substance Abuse Client, Michael F. Sunich

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of training and experience on counselors' ability to detect relapse precipitants in substance abuse clients. Eighty counselor trainees from Western Michigan University and the University of Northern Colorado participated. They were classified as to their previous level of experience and then exposed to either the treatment condition or the control condition. Pretest-posttest data were gathered using a modified version of the Alcohol Confidence Questionnaire (Annis & Graham, 1988) (ACQ-M).

The findings from this study suggest that counselors with previous substance abuse experience tend to show less confidence in a client's ability to remain abstinent than …

A Descriptive Study Of The Development And Validation Of A Curriculum Development Process For Occupational Therapy In An Institution Of Higher Education, Alfred G. Bracciano

Dissertations

This was a descriptive study of a curriculum development process for occupational therapy at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. A four-stage process was designed and documented. These stages included: (1) feasibility , (2) curriculum design and development, (3) review and evaluation-validation for each component, and (4 ) implementation stage.

The study was conducted to develop a curriculum development process that was academically appropriate for occupational therapy programs for institutions of higher education and which met identified needs as set forth by the feasibility study and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), Division of Education. Further, the study undertook to …

Motivational Effects On A Psychometric Measure Of Prefrontal Brain Functioning In Patients With Chronic Schizophrenia And Related Disorders, Paul C. Smith

Dissertations

This study compared multiple sequential performances on a computerized version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (Grant & Berg, 1948; Harris, 1986) by adult men receiving institutional inpatient treatment for chronic schizophrenia and related disorders. Participants were exposed to differential test conditions of minimal post-session non-contingent token reinforcement (baseline phases) and enhanced intra-session performance-contingent token reinforcement (experimental phase). Each major participant resided at the same continuing treatment unit at Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital receiving similar social therapies but idiosyncratic psychotropic medication regimens, changes in which were tracked in relation to test performances. A simple single-subject reversal design was employed with …

Meta-Analysis On Costing Out Nursing Services, Judith G. Eckhart Dnsc

Dissertations

This descriptive meta-analytic study investigated 73 primary studies on costing out nursing services. A critical review of the literature revealed that findings from the various published and unpublished studies were inconsistent and inconclusive. This meta-analysis integrated the literature to identify the relationships between nursing costs and a second variable. The most frequently reported variables among the primary studies were compared using Pearson r correlations and percentages. The variables of total and direct nursing costs were correlated to the variables of length of stay, direct nursing care hours, hospital costs, and diagnostic related grouping (DRG) reimbursements. Analysis was conducted two ways. …

Being Pregnant And Using Drugs: A Retrospective Phenomenological Inquiry, Merry A. Armstrong Dnsc, Msn

Dissertations

Qualitative methodology was employed to conduct a phenomenological inquiry describing the structure of the experience of being pregnant and using drugs. The purpose of the study was to explore the nature of women's experience and perception of the interaction, relationship, and intersection of contextual phenomena of lifestyle, pregnancy, and substance abuse. Data gathering and analysis was accomplished using guidelines provided by Spiegelberg and Van Manen. Eleven mothers voluntarily participating in a recovery program described their prior experience of being addicted and pregnant during 2 conversations with the researcher. Through transcript analysis of the first audio-taped interview, major and minor themes …

How Latinas Come To Know About Aids And Aids Prevention, Patricia Walker Caudle Dnsc, Mnsc, Fnp, Rnc

Dissertations

By the year 2000, Latinos will become the largest minority group in the United States. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is occurring at a disproportionately high rate among Latinos. As care-giver and health decision-maker in the family, the Latina needs to know about AIDS and AIDS prevention. This research identified and offers an explanation of how the Latina comes to know about AIDS and AIDS prevention within the context of the family and the Latino culture. Grounded theory methodology was used to explore the complex socialization patterns within the Latino community that affect how the Latina perceives HIV/AIDS. Data were collected …

Factors Influencing A Battered Woman's Perception Of Controllability In Violent Intimate Relationships, Patricia Ann Chin Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

Despite the fact that domestic violence has been the focus of empirical investigation for more than twenty years, little is known about the phenomenon. While the available body of knowledge provides a sketchy picture of the abused woman and her abuser, and helps to dispel many of the myths surrounding spousal abuse, it provides very little insight into the dynamics of wife abuse. This study, based upon a foundation of the Reformulated Learned Helplessness Theory, was designed to explore the nature of the relationships among concepts that have been identified within the context of battering, and that were thought to …

Effects Of Adventist Engaged Encounter On Role Expectations And Growth In Premarital Relations, Jeffrey O. Brown

Dissertations

Problem. There is a growing concern in present society over what have come to be known as 'family values.' At the heart of these values lies marriage, and the erosion of this ancient institution has caused practitioners and researchers alike to focus on possible opportunities afforded by premarital intervention. With the proliferation of enrichment programs, there is a need in the church for an evaluation of Adventist Engaged Encounter (AEE), the largest group premarital intervention program in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, especially as it relates to two of its primary foci: role expectations and growth.

Method. Demographic details were obtained …

Inclusion Of Gregorc's Mind Styles Concepts In Physical Therapy Curriculum And Instruction In Selected Baccalaureate And Post-Baccalaureate Programs, Keith R. Gaden

Dissertations

Topic

The topic under study in this paper was the application of Gregorc's mind styles concepts in two baccalaureate and two post-baccalaureate physical therapy programs.

Purpose

The purpose was to determine how these concepts were used while addressing the teaching and learning theory competency of the accreditation standards.

Sources

I examined intra- and extra-classroom activities, noting how information on styles was given and/or modeled to the students. Gregorc's Energic Model of Styles formed the basis for style determination. The research design was multiple-case study (embedded). Accreditation documents, curriculum file materials, handout materials, and videotaped classroom sessions were interpreted to determine …