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Emergency Nurse Self Perception Of The Benefit Of The Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course, Diana Lynn Ropele

Masters Theses

This study evaluated whether emergency nurses perceived an increase in knowledge and skill in caring for pediatric emergency patients after taking the Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC). Also it evaluated whether non-certified nurses reported a greater increase in knowledge and skill after the ENPC than the certified nurse.

A cross-sectional, retrospective, correlational design was used with a random sample of 333 registered nurses living in Michigan who completed the ENPC in 1995 or 1996. Ninety-three nurses practicing in emergency care returned the demographic sheet and the ENPC perception questionnaire (EPQ).

Analysis compared knowledge and skill scores before and after taking …

Medication Administration In Schools, Stephanie A. Painter

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe current practice of medication administration to children during school attendance in a district in Michigan. Information was collected by an audit of the policy and procedure manuals and medication records to assess a number of variables. It was found that 213 doses of medications were administered in 8 schools (enrollment 6,000) on the day of the study. Most of these were administered by nurses (40.8%) and secretaries (12.2%). While 25 different medications were administered, the medication most frequently administered was methylphenidate (60%). Medications were administered orally, per inhaler, nebulizer, topically or injected. …

A Comparison Between Emergency Nursing Stress And Completion Of The Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course, Sheryl L. Veurink-Balicki

Masters Theses

A descriptive, retrospective, correlational study design was used to determine emergency nurses’ perceptions of stress before and after completion of the Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC). A sample of 93 randomly chosen emergency nurses completed the Modified Clinical Stress Questionnaire.

Using the paired t-test, differences were found between the before and after mean scores on stress, threat, and challenge (p < .01). Scores were lower after ENPC for stress and threat, but higher for challenge. The t-test was used to compare the mean scores of nurses with and without certification in emergency nursing. The only significant difference between the two groups was on the threat score after ENPC, with the certified group reporting lower perception of threat (t = -2.40, p = .02). Overall, lower perception of stress was reported in all groups following ENPC.

Psychiatric Nurses' Perceptions Of Their Social Support, Elizabeth V.L. Howell

Masters Theses

This study investigated psychiatric nurses’ perceptions of their social support while working in a public psychiatric hospital. A descriptive correlational research design using a mailed self-administered questionnaire was employed for this study. Data collection and measurement of the phenomenon of perceived social support was done using the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (Norbeck, Lindsey, & Carrieri, 1995). The sample consisted of 57 registered nurses who had been employed for at least six months.

Data analyses consisted of reporting means, standard deviations, percentages, and range of scores for perceived social support. Results indicated emotional support (affect and affirmation) rated the highest among …

The Concept Of Death Education On Children's Understanding Of Death, Diana K. Clark Schramm

Masters Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if death education has an impact on children's understanding of death. This study was a non-randomized trial of a single educational session on death concepts of 38 second grade children (mean age 7.78 years). The Smilansky Death Concept Questionnaire, a validated and published interviewing tool, was administered pre and post intervention to all study subjects to evaluate their understanding of death. This intervention was a story on death and a peer group discussion.

Post-test scores were significantly higher than pretest scores for human death concept, and animal death concept, as well as …

Quality Nursing Care: The Nursing Home Residents' Perspective, Brenda L. Larsen

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to determine what nursing home residents consider quality nursing care. The information obtained can provide nurses with knowledge about quality care perceptions in this population. Care thus could be planned and provided that would promote resident centered quality.

For this qualitative study a phenomenological approach was used. The investigator collected data via audio-taped interviews and field note observations. A grounded theory approach was used to uncover residents' perceptions of quality nursing care. The meaning was then disclosed by the process of description and thematic interpretation.

The shared experience of living in a nursing home …

The Effect Of Discharge Intervention Provided By An Advanced Practice Nurse On The Post-Discharge Self-Care Agency Of Clients Admitted With Congestive Heart Failure, Theresa Dawson

Masters Theses

This study used a quasi-experimental design using a two-group comparison to evaluate the effects of advanced practice nurse interventions on client compliance to self-care regimens (diet, meds, and established appointments). The conceptual framework was based upon Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Model.

This study used the premise of Ashby's (1988) "Self-Care Outcome Measurement" tool to ascertain the frequency of the clients'performance of self-care activities. The frequency was measured using a 4-point summated rating scale. The study site was a 400 bed acute care hospital in Southcentral Michigan. The convenience sample of 10 adult clients with congestive heart failure were interviewed by phone …

The Effect Of An Environment Modification On Fear Of Falling In Institutionalized Older Persons, Joann L. Munski

Masters Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of an environmental modification on fear of falling in institutionalized older persons. A pretest-post-test experimental design was used to analyze data collected on 40 residents of a long term care facility. The subjects were randomly assigned to either experimental or control groups. Fear of falling was measured by Dayhoflf Baird, Bennett, & Backer’s Falling Questionnaire (1994). The experimental group received an environmental modification. The Pull, in their living area for six weeks while the control group did not receive any intervention. T-test and analysis of covariance were used to test …

Correlation Of Emergency Department Nurses' Beliefs About Wife Abuse And The Use Of Carative Factors In Transpersonal Interactions With Abused Wives, Judith A. Baker

Masters Theses

Emergency department nurses from seven general hospitals were surveyed to elicit information on their beliefs about wife abuse (using the Inventory of Beliefs about Wife-Beating) and their self-reported behaviors with clients who may be physically abused. They were asked about beliefs about institutional and peer attitudes toward caring for abused wives. Information on the nurses’ education about and experience with wife abuse was gathered. Data were summarized to provide descriptive statistics regarding beliefs and behaviors. High levels of caring behaviors were reported. Analysis of correlation between beliefs and behaviors was conducted. Significant findings were correlations between caring behaviors and the …

Rural Palliative Care Nursing: A Modified Grounded Theory Study, Ruth Mcconigley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This paper presents the findings of a study of rural palliative care nurses in Western Australia. The numbers of rural centres in Western Australia offering palliative care services are increasing; however at present there is little empirical data available about the roles of the nurses involved. This study was undertaken to begin to correct this deficit. The study examines basic social processes associated with the role of rural palliative care nurses and identities issues that affect the nurses’ professional practice. A modified grounded theory approach was used to form a conceptual framework that describes rural palliative care nursing. Theoretical sampling …

Predicting The Severity Of Radiation Skin Reactions In Women With Breast Cancer, Davina Porock

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Skin reactions are unavoidable side effects of radiotherapy for breast cancer that may limit the amount of treatment a patient is able to receive. As well, the discomfort associated with the treatment may negatively affect the patient's quality of life and their willingness to complete a course of treatment that typically extends over seven weeks. Prior literature suggests that variations in patients' tissue reactions to radiation may be related to Individual patient characteristics. Before health care providers can intervene to prevent or minimise skin reactions, a clinical model that helps predict which patients will experience more skin reactions is needed. …

Women's Perceptions Of Birth Centre Care: A Qualitative Approach, Karen Coyle

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe women's perceptions of the care they received in a birth centre, compared to their previous experiences in a hospital. Australian statistics indicate that five percent of childbearing women now choose to receive care in a birth centre setting. Clinical outcomes of birth centre care are now well documented, but there is limited empirical data about women's experiences of this model of care. Seventeen women, who had recently given birth in a birth centre, and had previously experienced care in a hospital setting, were interviewed about their care experiences. Using content analysis, …

Patients' Attitudes Toward The Use Of Nurse Practitioners, Laurie Maxwell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Since the advent of the role of nurse practitioner in the mid 1960s, nurse practitioners have practiced in traditional settings such as health departments, clinics, and physicians' offices. More recently, nurse practitioners have been utilized in non-traditional settings such as the emergency department. Some studies have been done that support the theory that nurse practitioners can function effectively in this setting; however additional studies are needed on this topic. The purpose of this study was to explore patients' attitudes toward the use of nurse practitioners and to determine what patient variables were related to these attitudes. More specifically, this study …

Maternal Age: Influence On Length Of Gestation And Birth Weight, Charlotte Bratcher

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The findings indicated no significant differences among the age groups in relation to infant birth weight nor in relation to the risk factors of smoking, maternal weight gain, trimester of first entry into prenatal care, or marital status They did indicate a significant difference [F(2,85) = 4.1364, p < .05] between the oldest and the youngest group (CD = 3.37, a = .05) in relation to gestational length. These findings are significant for healthcare providers in rural areas, since much of the previous research had been done in highly urbanized or inner city settings.

Characteristics And Resource Utilization Of Patients Of A Proprietary Home Health Agency In Rural South Central Kentucky, Linda Sewell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The home health industry's introduction to managed care raises the prospect of reduced access to health care and poor outcomes for a vulnerable segment of our population—the rural elderly. Before effective intervention strategies can be accurately evaluated, a clearer picture of the sociodemographic features and home care service consumption is needed for this understudied group. The study was intended to provide a basis for future research into the evaluation of alternative methods of delivering effective care in terms of outcome and decreased cost for this population. A retrospective descriptive analysis was made of the patient record for the first six …

Personality Types Of Registered Nurses Employed In A Rural Community Hospital, Tina Snodgrass

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify the personality types of registered nurses in a rural community. An extensive literature review revealed that no studies, utilizing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to identify personality types, had been conducted with rural nurses. Jung's Psychological Type Theory was the theoretical framework for the study. The MBTI operationalizes Jung's theory and was utilized to determine the most frequently occurring personality types of the nurses. A descriptive study was conducted at a 68 bed acute care hospital. The sample consisted of 40 experienced registered nurses working in staff positions within the hospital. Sensing, …

Patient Satisfaction With A Nurse Managed Lipid Clinic, Memuna Ali

Master's Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine patient satisfaction with a nurse managed lipid clinic. This study investigated the effect of gender, age, level of education, and physical health on patient satisfaction. Measuring patient satisfaction has been regarded as the method of choice for obtaining patient views about their care. Fifty patients completed a survey rating various aspects of the lipid clinic. The results provided evidence that high level of satisfaction existed with the nurse managed clinic and there was no significant variation with gender, age, level of education or physical health of patients. Nurse Practitioners have been successfully …

Critical Thinking Attributes Of Undergraduate Nursing Faculty, Julie A. Coon

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the critical thinking skills of undergraduate nursing faculty to determine how these skills compared with the established critical thinking skill norms for undergraduate nursing students and if the critical thinking skills of nursing faculty were related to the type of program they teach in, their years of experience in nursing education, their level of formal education, their preferred methods of instruction, and their level of formal training in critical thinking. Nursing faculty from 17 Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) programs and 11 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs in the State of …

Basics Of Research (Part 10): The Grant Application Process, Cheryl Thompson

Journal Articles: College of Nursing

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Selected Nonpharmacologic Pain Interventions In Infants, Cindy Smith Greenberg Dnsc, Ms, Rn, Cpnp

Dissertations

Infants subjected to painful stimuli respond with deleterious physiologic and metabolic effects, behavioral changes, and potentially long term effects on painful stimuli processing and response. There are few studies that address effective pain interventions for infants, particularly those interventions that staff nurses can implement independently. Interventions must be identified and their effectiveness must be validated for this vulnerable population. Pharmacologic management of pain may cause deleterious side effects and needs to be ordered by physicians or nurse practitioners. Nonpharmacologic methods to manage pain can usually be implemented by staff nurses independently. This study evaluated the efficacy of two nonpharmacologic pain …

Nurses Alumni Association Bulletin, Fall 1997, Betty Piersol, Elizabeth K. Prisnock, Marian E. Smith, Margaret Summers, Sue Henrie-Strup, Maureen Mcvail

Nursing Alumni Bulletins

1997-1998 Meeting Dates Calendar

1998 Annual Luncheon-Meeting Notice

Officers and Committee Chairs

Bulletin Publication Committee

1997-1998 Meeting Dates Calendar

The President's Message

Treasurer's Report

Trivia and News About Our Graduates

Highlights of 1997

Keeping Kids Healthy After Hours

Scholarship Funds At Work

Tribute to Tanya

Medical Mission Outreach 1996

History Of The Jefferson Pin

Facts Not Fiction

Rib Ticklers

Mama Will Protect Me

Happy Birthday

Fiftieth Anniversary

Resume of Minutes of Alumni Association Meetings

Alumni Office News

Committee Reports

• Bulletin
• By-Laws
• Development
• Diploma School of Nursing Alumni Association-Mabel C. Prevost Scholarship Fund
• Nominating
• Relief Fund
• Satellite
• Social
• Scholarship

Luncheon Photos …

From Welfare To What?: The Limitations Of Low-Income Work, Lande Ajose

New England Journal of Public Policy

The premise of the welfare law enacted by Congress is that people living in poverty could vastly improve their economic status if only they were employed. The author argues that economic security for welfare recipients will not be realized simply by increasing the labor-force attachment. Home health aides comprise an occupation that could absorb many of the large pool of workers expected to join the labor market because demand for their services is high and barriers to entry are low. However, as this survey shows, the home health field offers limited promise to welfare recipients because, significantly for women rolling …

Nursing: A New Day, A New Way, Lin Zhan, Jane Cloutterback

New England Journal of Public Policy

The U.S. health care environment is changing rapidly. Its structure, financing, and delivery are being reconfigured toward an integrated system based on managed care. Increasingly, national interest in health promotion and disease prevention is moving care away from a disease-oriented, institutionally based model to a population-focused, wellness-oriented, and community-based system. Health care consumers are diversifying in age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The approach emerging from these changes and others requires nursing to rethink, redesign, and retool its workforce to meet new challenges. This article analyzes nursing education, practice, and operations. The authors discuss the dilemmas and complexity of developing an …

Job Mobility Of Entry-Level Workers: Black And Latina Women In Hospital Corridors, Maria Estella Carrión

New England Journal of Public Policy

Based on data from interviews with fifteen black and fifteen Latina women in entry-level jobs, this article discusses job access strategies, patterns of job mobility, and barriers to upward job mobility for low-income minority women in the hospital industry. Concentrated in the lowest wage levels and job tiers, they are quite diverse in subgroup composition, in age, and in training requirements. The research confirms that deficiencies in schooling and skills remain the major obstacles minority women confront when they apply for hospital jobs and restrict their opportunities once they are within the hospital labor market. Efforts to provide training and …

Autopsy In The Cancer Patient: The Nurse's Role, Patricia Rushton

Faculty Publications

Nurses spend many hours with dying cancer patients, developing close relationships with both the patients and their families. However, nurses are frequently not involved in the process of requesting an autopsy, either by choice or tradition. During this time of great stress, the nurse can be more involved. The nurse who understands the reasons for autopsy and its ramification for the grieving process can be actively involved in supporting the physician who makes the request and the family members who must make the this difficult decision. It is possible that the nurse can be the health team member designated to …

Comparisons Of Outcomes In A Pediatric Primary Care Clinic In Patients Treated By A Physician Or A Nurse Practitioner, Ken Burnette

MSN Research Projects

Physician availability during the 2 0th century has waxed and waned. During periods of physician shortage and surplus, there have always been underserved segments of our society. Nurse practitioners (NPs) have provided care for these underserved populations. Unfortunately, 30 years after the first NPs began to practice there remain underserved populations and underutilized practitioners. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes between physicians and practitioners. The research questions are the following: Is there a difference in patient's satisfaction between care provided by a physician and a nurse practitioner? Does care differ when initiated by a physician or a …

Rural Acceptance Of The Nurse Practitioner, Mary Branstetter

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The rural community has lacked adequate healthcare providers for the past thirty years. Collaboration between physician and family nurse practitioner is an option for meeting the need for delivery of primary healthcare in the rural community. A descriptive design was used to describe the acceptance of the nurse practitioner by patients living in rural southcentral Kentucky who utilize the services of the community hospital. Every fifth inpatient and outpatient discharge was mailed the Kviz Assessment Questionnaire and a demographic survey. The questionnaires (N = 842) were mailed over a four week survey period with reminder postcards mailed to each survey …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Of Nurse Transition To Family-Centered Perinatal Nursing, Paula Kaye Lilja Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to obtain a better understanding of how nurses caring for perinatal patients and their families view their clinical practice role after experiencing the transition from traditional maternity care to family-centered perinatal nursing. The volunteer participants in the study were 13 female registered nurses employed on a family-centered perinatal unit in one of four hospital settings. The researcher conducted unstructured interviews with the participants and analyzed the qualitative data. The history of the transition and the context in which the family-centered perinatal nursing model was being practiced are presented. Two major features of the …

Coping Mechanisms Utilized By Women Survivors Of Breast Cancer, Elizabeth Polk Thomas

MSN Research Projects

The suspected and confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer evokes feelings of fear, anxiety, guilt, frustration, and vulnerability in an individual. A woman diagnosed with breast cancer may utilize a variety of coping mechanisms. This descriptive study sought to identify the most common and most effective coping mechanisms utilized by women survivors of breast cancer answering the following research question: Which coping mechanisms are most effective and most frequently utilized by women survivors of breast cancer? This study used the theory of Lazarus and Folkman (1984) as a framework for understanding coping. The final sample (N = 20) consisted of women …

Relationship Between Selected Demographic Variables And Self-Esteem In Female Adolescents In The Rural South, Denise Tennison

MSN Research Projects

Self-esteem is recognized as a basic personality- characteristic of positive and productive behavior. The view the adolescent female has of herself is of utmost importance and may have an impact on behavior, achievement, social functioning, and physical and emotional health. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between sociodemographic variables and self-esteem in adolescent females. Roy's Adaptation Model was used to guide this descriptive correlation investigation. Data were collected from a sample of 3 0 adolescent females from a small rural high school in East Central Mississippi. Participants were surveyed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem …