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Lived Experiences Of Secondary Victims During The Parole Process: A Phenomenological Approach, Jessica Millimen Jan 2017

Lived Experiences Of Secondary Victims During The Parole Process: A Phenomenological Approach, Jessica Millimen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Secondary victims of traumatic violent crimes are subject to continuing the process of fighting for the loved ones they have lost. Once the offender is incarcerated, such victims may still have to face the process of parole if the offender has been granted a possibility of parole after years served. There is a gap in the literature and a need for research in the area of lived experiences for secondary victims as they progress through the parole process. For this study, a phenomenological study was utilized with 10 secondary victim participants. Participants were interviewed questions via telephone and the data …

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Servant Leadership And Its Effect On Employee Job Satisfaction And Turnover Intent, Dennis M. Mitterer Jan 2017

Servant Leadership And Its Effect On Employee Job Satisfaction And Turnover Intent, Dennis M. Mitterer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Experts expect a shortage of more than 900,000 nurses by 2022, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections. Turnover in nursing contributes significantly to the shortage and often results from poor leadership of nurse managers. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate how servant leadership behaviors affected the psychological state and behavioral response of staff nurses as reflected by job satisfaction and turnover intention. Specifically, the research question addressed whether servant leadership positively contributes to the psychological states and the behaviors of staff nurses leading to greater job satisfaction. The study design was correlational, …

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Predictors Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination In Georgia, Ashley Nash Jan 2017

Predictors Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination In Georgia, Ashley Nash

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and is available for males and females, completion of the 3-shot series in Georgia remains relatively low. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of HPV vaccination initiation and completion for male and female adolescents, ages 13 to 17 years old, in Georgia between 2013 and 2015. The theoretical foundation of the study was the structural model of health behavior which is an ecological model. Logistic regression was performed to determine if there was any relationship between the independent variables of parental …

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Leadership Development For The Formal Nurse Leader, Lori Neu Jan 2017

Leadership Development For The Formal Nurse Leader, Lori Neu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse leaders are essential to the advancement of healthcare because of their ability to bridge the gap of knowledge between clinical practice and the business of healthcare. Developing nurse managers is imperative to the future of nursing given their influential role in healthcare. The central topic of exploration in the project was how nurse managers use the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) Nurse Manger Inventory Tool to assess their management skills after exposure to the leadership development program currently available to them. In this project, the novice to expert theory was used to evaluate the existing leadership development program …

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Translating Evidence Of Skin-To-Skin And Rooming-In To Practice, Francisca Njoku Jan 2017

Translating Evidence Of Skin-To-Skin And Rooming-In To Practice, Francisca Njoku

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The old practice of separating the mother-baby-dyad was without measurable benefits to mothers or their infants. Evidence has shown that skin-to-skin care (SSC) prevents hypothermia and hypoglycemia, decreases crying during painful procedures in newborns, and reduces maternal anxiety, stress, and postpartum depression. Rooming-in care (RIC) has been linked to an increase in the rate of breastfeeding and mother-infant interaction, as well as a decrease in the infant morbidity rate. This project assessed the effect of an educational intervention to increase rates of SSC and RIC in an obstetric unit, in addition to measuring nurses' attitudes and barriers in relation to …

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E-Commerce Adoption By Small And Medium Enterprises In Nigeria, Anthony Obioma Nwosu Jan 2017

E-Commerce Adoption By Small And Medium Enterprises In Nigeria, Anthony Obioma Nwosu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The future survival of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is inextricably linked to their implementation of e-commerce systems. The lack of e-commerce strategies among SME business owners has contributed to a low level of e-commerce adoption by SMEs. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that Nigerian SME business owners used to implement e-commerce systems. The population consisted of retail SMEs in Lagos, Nigeria, that have functional e-commerce systems. The conceptual framework supporting the study was dynamic capabilities framework. Data for the study were derived from semistructured interviews of 4 SME business owners/managers and documentation …

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Strategies To Mitigate Losses From Product-Harm Crises In The Agri-Food Industry, Leslie Owen Paull Jan 2017

Strategies To Mitigate Losses From Product-Harm Crises In The Agri-Food Industry, Leslie Owen Paull

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some agri-food managers of United States-based companies use strategies to mitigate product-harm crises.The loss of brand and corporate sustainability increases for companies not utilizing mitigating strategies to reduce losses from agri-food product-harm crisis.The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies managers use to mitigate losses from agri-food product-harm crises. Coombs' situational crisis communication theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. A sample of 3 managers from 3 agri-food companies in the southern United States shared their mitigating strategies to reduce losses from a product-harm crisis. Methodological triangulation assisted in reviewing and analyzing information from …

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Contact Center Employee Characteristics Associated With Customer Satisfaction, Lara Pow Jan 2017

Contact Center Employee Characteristics Associated With Customer Satisfaction, Lara Pow

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The management of operations for a customer contact center (CCC) presents significant challenges. Management's direction is to reduce costs through operational efficiency metrics while providing maximum customer satisfaction levels to retain customers and increase profit margins. The purpose of this correlational study was to quantify the significance of various customer service representative (CSR) characteristics including internal service quality, employee satisfaction, and employee productivity, and then to determine their predictive ability on customer satisfaction, as outlined in the service-profit chain model. The research question addressed whether a linear relationship existed between CSR characteristics and the customers' satisfaction with the CSR by …

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U.S. Young Adults Stds, Risk Perception, Risk Behaviors, And Health Information Seeking, Amanda Robison-Chadwell Jan 2017

U.S. Young Adults Stds, Risk Perception, Risk Behaviors, And Health Information Seeking, Amanda Robison-Chadwell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are preventable conditions for which treatment failure (specifically in gonorrhea) is becoming problematic. U.S. young adults (20-29 years) have high rates of STD incidence and prevention of these diseases, but reaching them to provide primary prevention educations is challenging due to low perceived susceptibility to infection and lack of knowledge about how young adults seek health information. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to assess the association between perceived susceptibility to STDs, sexual risk behavior, and the acquisition of health information as it pertains to sexual health topics in young adults. The Health Belief …

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Understanding Self-Management Decision Making In Heart Failure, Constance Louise Schumacher Jan 2017

Understanding Self-Management Decision Making In Heart Failure, Constance Louise Schumacher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Heart failure patients are responsible for managing fluctuations in symptoms between exacerbations by employing treatment adherence, active monitoring, and management strategies based on expert guidelines. Despite education, delayed help seeking persists among those in the need of acute medical intervention, as evidenced by high hospital admission and readmission rates. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to explore the decision making processes undertaken by heart failure, community-dwelling individuals as they experience symptom changes. Eighteen face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants who had heart failure and received self-management education from a home care agency in Southern Ontario, Canada. Data …

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U.S Marine Corps Veterans' Perceptions Of Screening For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Tiffany Lawing Schweitzer Jan 2017

U.S Marine Corps Veterans' Perceptions Of Screening For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Tiffany Lawing Schweitzer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious issue for post-deployment United States Marine Corps (USMC) veterans, especially because PTSD can increase the risk of suicide. Marines are screened post-deployment, yet little is known about Marine veterans' perceptions of the PTSD screening process. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore USMC male veterans' perceptions of the Post- Deployment Health Reassessment (PDHRA). The social cognitive theory constructs of a triadic relationship among person, environment, and behavior were the framework for understanding this population's perceptions of the PDHRA and potential stigma. Two research questions focused on how people, culture, and behavior …

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Initial Findings Of A Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Program, Hesper B. Nowatzki Jan 2017

Initial Findings Of A Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Program, Hesper B. Nowatzki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the emphasis of benefits on preventive health, many older adults are not receiving the recommended age specific, evidence based screenings and vaccinations. The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is designed to address modifiable risk factors with aging adults and close gaps in care not captured in routine office visits. Although a free Medicare benefit to patients, and a reimbursable service to health care providers, participation in the AWV is low nationwide. The purpose of the project is to introduce an AWV program to a rural health clinic in Northwest Illinois that has a population consisting of over 25% of …

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Fire Officer Leadership Strategies For Cost Management, Leo R. Sedlmeyer Jan 2017

Fire Officer Leadership Strategies For Cost Management, Leo R. Sedlmeyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fire departments in the United States accounted for 31% of municipal budgets with increases of 85% spending between 2015 and 2016. The purpose of this single case study was to explore leadership strategies fire officers used to manage costs associated with hazardous operations. The conceptual framework grounding this study was transformational leadership theory. The participants in this study were 10 fire officers who manage hazardous operations in central Wisconsin. The data collection process included open-ended questions in a semistructured format resulting in transcripts, a review of fire department staffing documents, and personal journal notes. Methodological triangulation was used to compare …

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The Experiences Of African American Women Participating In Church-Based Weight Loss Programs, Mangle L. Shanks Jan 2017

The Experiences Of African American Women Participating In Church-Based Weight Loss Programs, Mangle L. Shanks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While obesity is a nationwide phenomenon, African Americans - especially women - continue to be more severely affected than any other ethnic group. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 20% of African American women are obese compared to 15.6% of Caucasian women. The church is an important community center for many African Americans, and is often a site for health promotion programs, though little is known of the effectiveness of these programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to study the experiences and attitudes of African American women who have gone through a church-based weight-loss …

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A Mixed-Methods Study Of Alternate-Route Teachers' Effect On Student Learning, Cassandra Faye Spearman Jan 2017

A Mixed-Methods Study Of Alternate-Route Teachers' Effect On Student Learning, Cassandra Faye Spearman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Due to teacher shortages at the study site, teaching positions in the state that is the focus of this study are filled by alternate route (AR) teachers, who earned bachelor degrees in the fields that were not related to education and received teacher certification through alternative teacher education programs. Because there is limited information about the preparation and performance of AR teachers at the site of this study, the purpose of this sequential mixed methods project study was to explore AR teachers' preparation and their effect on student learning as measured by Northwest Evaluation Association's Measures of Academic Progress/Discovery Education …

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Realigning Community Policing In A Homeland Security Era, Alfred Stanford Titus, Jr. Jan 2017

Realigning Community Policing In A Homeland Security Era, Alfred Stanford Titus, Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The priority shift from community policing to homeland security in local police departments in the United States has threatened the relationships and successes established by community policing, though little empirical research explored the relationship between funding and implementation of homeland security versus community policing objectives among local law enforcement agencies. Using Karl Popper's conceptualization of the liberal democracy as the framework, the purpose of this descriptive study was to examine how trends in funding and implementation of both community policing and homeland security objectives changed among American law enforcement agencies between 1993 and 2013. Data were acquired from the Law …

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An Analysis Of Teachers' Perceptions Of Bullying At The Elementary School Level, Tiffany Wilson Thomas Jan 2017

An Analysis Of Teachers' Perceptions Of Bullying At The Elementary School Level, Tiffany Wilson Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers in elementary schools are often faced with countless disruptive bullying behaviors, which cause them to lose valuable classroom instruction time. In addition, bullying victims have shown a decline in academic success as compared to students who are not bullied. The purpose of this qualitative bounded case study was to explore teachers' understanding and awareness of bullying behaviors and policies at the elementary school level, particularly in an elementary school in a southeastern state that has experienced large increases in student disruptive behavior over the past 2 school years. Bandura's social cognitive theory served as the conceptual framework. Semi-structured interview …

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Understanding The Radicalization Process Of U.S. Homegrown Terrorists, Jose Manuel Vargas Jan 2017

Understanding The Radicalization Process Of U.S. Homegrown Terrorists, Jose Manuel Vargas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Radicalization is an aspect in the development of homegrown terrorists; however, researchers have been unable to establish a path to radicalization, uncover how individual and social factors influence radicalization, and identify how the Internet and social media mediate this process. The purpose of this case study was to explore individual and environmental factors that contribute to the radicalization of U.S. homegrown terrorists and identify interventions. Conversion theory was used to develop an understanding of the radicalization of U.S. homegrown terrorists. Data were derived from interviews of local and state law enforcement, military antiterrorism officers (AT), and security personnel from military …

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Marketing Strategies To Enhance Profitability Among International Oil And Gas Service Companies, Hesameddin Zafari Jan 2017

Marketing Strategies To Enhance Profitability Among International Oil And Gas Service Companies, Hesameddin Zafari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A significant drop in oil price in 2014 resulted in enormous pressure on marketing managers of international oilfield service companies to address new market expectations. In such competitive conditions, some marketing managers lack strategies to leverage profitability during downturns. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that senior marketing managers of international oilfield service companies in the Middle East successfully used to enhance sales performance, revenues, and profits during periods of declining oil prices. Theory of market segmentation, targeting, and positioning formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews of 5 …

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Nurse Practitioners' Guide On Consumption Of Hundred Percent Fruit Juice By Children, Monisola Adeyemo Jan 2017

Nurse Practitioners' Guide On Consumption Of Hundred Percent Fruit Juice By Children, Monisola Adeyemo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood obesity has reached an epidemic level in the United States, growing exponentially and posing a great risk to the current and future health of the American people. The trend of increasing incidence of overweight and obesity in children has been occurring for decades; there is a need for multimodal preventative solutions to control the rate of growth. Sufficient evidence has shown a correlation between the feeding of 100% fruit juice to infants as dietary supplements and childhood obesity. Therefore, the purpose of this project was development of a guideline for 100% fruit juice feeding in children that is adaptable …

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Higher Education Leaders' Transformative Learning And Leadership Experiences Responding To Student Drug Abuse, James Vernon Battin Jan 2017

Higher Education Leaders' Transformative Learning And Leadership Experiences Responding To Student Drug Abuse, James Vernon Battin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Today's academic and social environment creates uncertainties, new roles, frequent changes, and challenging situations for student affairs academic leaders. The purpose of this study was to explore how student affairs academic leaders described their recent challenging experiences in addressing student drug abuse in higher education. The conceptual framework was based on adult transformative learning theory and applied transformative leadership perspectives. An interview format with open-ended questions was used to explore the experiences of 8 student affairs leaders who had faced challenging situations in the context of student drug abuse. A qualitative interpretive analysis was used that involved open coding of …

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Integration Into A Historically Black University: Transfer And Native Students' Experiences, Zaigham Bokhari Jan 2017

Integration Into A Historically Black University: Transfer And Native Students' Experiences, Zaigham Bokhari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) receive the highest proportion of transfer students (TS) who encounter unique challenges to academic/social integration such as difficult socioeconomic backgrounds, insufficient support of their families, and limited access to student counseling and career guidance services on campus. The purpose of this study was to improve the understanding of the effects of these challenges on TS. Using the Survey of Native and Transfer Students Integration, the study collected quantitative data on measures of TS academic/social integration and qualitative data on TS personal experiences (n = 150). The results of correlation analyses suggest that (1) academic/social …

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The President Management Agenda: An Examination Of Federal Employees' Perceptions, Famane Brown Jan 2017

The President Management Agenda: An Examination Of Federal Employees' Perceptions, Famane Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gauging the quality of the relationship between federal managers and employees and its impact on organizational performance excellence is a continuing problem for the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM). President Barack Obama's President's Management Agenda mandated several actions- to respond to the problem. Part of the mandate was to use data from the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) to gauge the relationship between management and employees and overall performance. The FEVS is a tool that measures employees' perceptions of whether, and to what extent, conditions that characterize successful organizations are present in their agencies. The research question for the …

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Senior Students' Experiences, Perspectives, And Attitudes Of Technological Competencies In Nursing Education, Patricia C. Bennett Jan 2017

Senior Students' Experiences, Perspectives, And Attitudes Of Technological Competencies In Nursing Education, Patricia C. Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technological standards appear to be needed in undergraduate nursing education, as existing research has yet to establish technological standards for undergraduate nursing students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of senior nursing students with respect to their perceptions regarding exposure to and abilities gained in the areas of information management, information literacy, and computer literacy. The framework of the study was based on Bandura's theory of self-efficacy and the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition. Using a phenomenological approach, in-depth face-to-face interviews were used with a purposive sample to collect data about the technological competencies …

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Restaurant Management Strategies To Comply With Food Safety Regulations, Dr. Carlos Juan Calcador Jan 2017

Restaurant Management Strategies To Comply With Food Safety Regulations, Dr. Carlos Juan Calcador

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The recent economic crisis in Puerto Rico has created decreased health department fiscal capabilities, adding more responsibilities to health department officials in charge of restaurant inspections without adding more operational funds, which in turn led to less regulatory capacity. This situation instigated increased food safety regulation violations, and food safety legislation changes, imposing more economic pressure to restaurant owners, which leads to a lack of restaurant sustainability. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies six business visionaries, smart entrepreneurs, who have positioned themselves as successful restaurateurs, in the restaurant industry in Puerto Rico. They were key factors …

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Familial Factors Predicting Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence In African American Adolescents, Cassandra Clarke-Williams Jan 2017

Familial Factors Predicting Attitudes Toward Domestic Violence In African American Adolescents, Cassandra Clarke-Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teen dating violence is more prevalent among African Americans than any other racial group in the United States leading to serious health consequences for victims. However, limited data exists on how African American adolescents' attitudes and perceptions regarding dating violence are formed, and whether they are influenced by family members. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational study was to determine whether nonverbal or verbal communication from family members predicted adolescents' attitudes and perceptions toward dating violence. Survey data from 84 African American men and women ages 18 to 24 were collected using the Normative Beliefs About Aggression Scale, the Acceptance …

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African American Charitable Giving In Charlotte, North Carolina: Engagement Strategies, Keith Eric Cradle Jan 2017

African American Charitable Giving In Charlotte, North Carolina: Engagement Strategies, Keith Eric Cradle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit agencies are instrumental in U.S. society and local communities. While there is significant outreach targeted for wealthy and middle-class Caucasian families, there is a lack of targeted effort for African Americans. The purpose of this case study was to explore the strategies development directors use to engage and retain African American donors. The focus of the research questions was what factors lead to successful engagement campaigns for African Americans. The qualitative case study was suitable for gathering data from multiple sources of information, including an interview questionnaire and existing literature. A purposeful sampling strategy was appropriate for choosing 5 …

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Leadership Strategies For Developing And Implementing Organizational Change, Hardy L. Delay Iv Jan 2017

Leadership Strategies For Developing And Implementing Organizational Change, Hardy L. Delay Iv

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders in some narcotics treatment programs struggle with change development and implementation. The objective of this single-case study was to explore strategies used by leaders in a narcotics treatment program to develop and implement organizational change initiatives successfully. Participants included 4 leaders who had developed and implemented successful change initiatives repeatedly for more than 10 years in a narcotics treatment program in the southeastern United States. Bertalanffy's general systems theory was the basis for the conceptual framework. Data collection included semistructured interviews of leaders of a narcotics treatment program and collection of archival data, such as reports relating to strategic …

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Preoperative Chlorhexidine Skin Preparation For Patients Undergoing Vascular Surgery, Janine Lee-Anne Duquette Jan 2017

Preoperative Chlorhexidine Skin Preparation For Patients Undergoing Vascular Surgery, Janine Lee-Anne Duquette

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In response to improving quality patient care, combined with the growing rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) in vascular patients, the need to explore current practice trends with current evidence has been identified. SSIs affect quality patient care and compromise patient safety. Empirical evidence has recommended the use of a chlorhexidine wash preoperatively to reduce SSIs. Despite this recommended practice, vascular patients were not receiving it in their routine plan of care within a hospital organization in southern Ontario. Guided by Lewin's theory of planned change, this project explored how the planning of a chlorhexidine preoperative surgical skin preparation protocol …

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Development Of A Graduate Nurse Residency Program In Women's Services, Dinez Diamond Esmail Jan 2017

Development Of A Graduate Nurse Residency Program In Women's Services, Dinez Diamond Esmail

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Graduate nurses' transition from school to the work place is challenging and often leads to burnout. There was no graduate nurse residency program in women's services at the practicum facility. As a result, this facility had been unable to recruit or hire graduate nurses in the women's services unit. The purpose of this project was to develop a nurse residency program in women's services to address the lack of formal orientation for new graduate nurses at this facility. A graduate nurse residency program will provide further training for nurses to care for a more complicated population of pregnant women. Theoretical …

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