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The Effectiveness Of Course-Based Health Education Interventions Towards Increased Physical Activity Among College Students, Jay Morris Martin Jan 2017

The Effectiveness Of Course-Based Health Education Interventions Towards Increased Physical Activity Among College Students, Jay Morris Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the many health benefits, physical activity participation among those between 18 to 24 years is in significant decline during the college-age years. Postsecondary education has been identified as an ideal environment where young adults should be targeted for physical activity participation. However, a limited number of studies have assessed the effectiveness of college-level health education and physical education program interventions to increase physical activity levels among college students. The purpose of this study was to examine current physical activity levels of college age students who have completed a college-level health education course and laboratory to gain a better understanding …

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Health Disparity In Preventive Care Among Nigerian Immigrants In The United States, Loveday E. Nwobilor Jan 2017

Health Disparity In Preventive Care Among Nigerian Immigrants In The United States, Loveday E. Nwobilor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The roles of immigration status in preventive health care services among Nigerian immigrants in the United States were investigated in this quantitative, cross-sectional survey study. About 260,724 Nigerian immigrants reside in the Unites States, but many do not complete lifesaving preventive health services such as immunization and screening, a major factor contributing to the rise in the cost of healthcare resultant from their use of emergency room services. This study investigated the extent to which immigration status independently explains the relationship between health disparities and risks in non-completion of preventive health care among Nigerian immigrants in the United States by …

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New Graduate Nurses' Perceptions Of Their Delay To Professional Practice, Ruth Ann Obregon Jan 2017

New Graduate Nurses' Perceptions Of Their Delay To Professional Practice, Ruth Ann Obregon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project study addressed the problem of knowledge and skills lost by new graduate RNs while delayed in transitioning to professional nursing practice. There is a paucity of knowledge about how new RNs experience their delay and how a delay may affect their future clinical performance. Mezirow's transformation learning theory was the conceptual framework for this qualitative case study. Research questions addressed new RNs' understanding of their experiences during a delay to professional practice. A purposeful sample included 8 new RNs who had completed a New Graduate Residency Transition Program (NGRTP) after a delay to practice of 6 months to …

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Experiences Of Community Leaders Following An Enhanced Fujita 5 Tornado, Thomas Edward Orr Jan 2017

Experiences Of Community Leaders Following An Enhanced Fujita 5 Tornado, Thomas Edward Orr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many U.S. communities experience tornadoes each year, causing a significant number of deaths and injuries. Proper community preparation and response can help reduce human suffering and psychological trauma that occur following a tornado. However, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology most U.S. communities in tornado-prone areas are unprepared for a violent tornado, and there are few national, state, or local tornado-related definitions, standard or code to guide preparations. Social constructionism was the underlying theory of this qualitative study. The purpose of this study was to improve tornado preparations by examining the experiences of community leaders following a …

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Retired, Unmarried, Male Baby Boomer Attitudes And Behaviors Toward Disease Prevention, Irene Nyawira Ruminjo Jan 2017

Retired, Unmarried, Male Baby Boomer Attitudes And Behaviors Toward Disease Prevention, Irene Nyawira Ruminjo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Preventive health care is effective in reducing both infectious diseases and chronic conditions among the elderly. Despite efforts to prevent or decrease the risk of illness, unmarried men are less likely to receive selected preventive services compared to married men. The purpose of this cross-sectional survey was to describe disease prevention attitudes and behaviors of retired, unmarried, male baby boomers residing in Harlingen, Texas. Further, the study examined the effects of socioeconomic status on disease prevention attitudes and behaviors. The health belief theory framed the study. A validated questionnaire collected disease prevention attitudes, behaviors, and sociodemographic characteristics data. Data inquiry …

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An Eritrean Perspective Of Africa's Potential For Indigenous, Independent Food Sustainability, Tewelde W. Tesfagabir Jan 2017

An Eritrean Perspective Of Africa's Potential For Indigenous, Independent Food Sustainability, Tewelde W. Tesfagabir

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Food insecurity in Africa is a threat to future generations because many countries rely on potentially unsustainable food policies. Eritrea's indigenous food sustainability policy has not been explored or analyzed in a scholarly manner. This qualitative case study analyzed the effectiveness of the current policy of food sustainability without relying on foreign food aid in Eritrea. The main research question addressed relates to how Eritrean irrigation farmers understand and implement the Eritrean government's food sustainability policy. The theoretical framework for this study, Kingdon's policy stream, set the agenda for a policy of sustainable indigenous Eritrean agricultural development without food aid. …

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Lived Experiences Of Pre-Menopausal African American Women With Advanced Breast Cancer, Carmelita Whitfield Jan 2017

Lived Experiences Of Pre-Menopausal African American Women With Advanced Breast Cancer, Carmelita Whitfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study examined the phenomenology of advanced breast cancer (ABC) among 7 female participants between the ages of 20 and 45. Oral data were collected to extract participants' interpretations of their spiritual and psychosocial experiences of living with ABC. Findings suggest that these women experienced a dichotomous relationship with regard to their bodies and their relationships with others; this served as a means of making sense of their experiences and as a coping mechanism. Positive psychology and the theory of reasoned action and planned behavior provided the theoretical framework for examining the role of social reinforcements, beliefs, and attitudes …

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Principals' Perceptions Of Instructional Leadership Development, Carla Brabham Brabham Jan 2017

Principals' Perceptions Of Instructional Leadership Development, Carla Brabham Brabham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Instructional leadership is an important aspect of student achievement and the overall success of schools. Principals, as instructional leaders, need continual reflection on their competency. Job-embedded professional development (JEPD) for teachers is implemented and monitored by instructional leaders. The purpose of this case study was to examine the perceived instructional leadership development of two principals at two schools where JEPD was used. Weber's model of instructional leadership guided the research questions on how the implementation of JEPD affected the principals' instructional leadership growth and development. Data collection occurred through interviews, observations during principal-led JEPD sessions, and document review after which …

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The Effects Of Education Narratives On High School Persistence Among Navajo Girls, Nancy Catherine Carre Jan 2017

The Effects Of Education Narratives On High School Persistence Among Navajo Girls, Nancy Catherine Carre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Dropout rates among American Indian students have not shown significant improvement since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. While extensive research exists on the dropout phenomenon, no studies were found that addressed why some Navajo girls leave school and the role education narratives play in their decision. Accordingly, this study examined the narratives shaping federal and Navajo education policies in order to understand how these influence school programs. The research questions dealt with three elements that could induce Navajo girls to leave school, the institutions and programs offered by federal and tribal government entities, …

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Discovering Opportunities To Improve Profitability At A Federally Qualified Health Center, Robert Jackson Jackson Jan 2017

Discovering Opportunities To Improve Profitability At A Federally Qualified Health Center, Robert Jackson Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) organizations, which provide health care services to low-income, underserved patients, are underfunded. From 2000 to 2007, the cost of treating an FQHC patient increased by $146, while federal compensation to FQHCs increased by only $44 per patient. One FQHC organization in rural Alabama experienced financial losses from the fiscal year 2011 through 2014, jeopardizing services to approximately 6,000 low-income patients. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to analyze the subject organization and discover opportunities to improve financial performance. The research question pertained to the opportunities for improving profitability at the subject organization. The …

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Strategies Information And Communication Technology Managers Use To Build Employee Competencies, Thulaganyo Arnold Rabogadi Jan 2017

Strategies Information And Communication Technology Managers Use To Build Employee Competencies, Thulaganyo Arnold Rabogadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The World Economic Forum (WEF) found that Botswana's information and communication technology (ICT) networked readiness index (NRI) had declined from position 89 in 2012 to 104 in 2015. A decline in Botswana's ICT NRI resulted in a modest gross domestic product (GDP) growth increasing from 4.2% in 2012 to 5.0% in 2015. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies ICT service provider managers use to build employee competencies to address ICT infrastructure performance deficiencies. The target population for this study consisted of over 120 managers from 2 ICT service providers located in Gaborone and Francistown …

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The Role Of An Ombudsman In Mitigating Conflict, Evelyn Addison-Laurie Jan 2017

The Role Of An Ombudsman In Mitigating Conflict, Evelyn Addison-Laurie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullying behavior is a contributing factor to hostile work environments, and can cause human consequences that affect morale, performance, and productivity. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to identify the strategies that ombudsmen and human resource managers (HR) use in mitigating workplace conflict. Corporate social performance was the conceptual framework that guided this research. Nine HR managers, an ombudsman representative, and 8 ombudsmen located in New York City and in other states were interviewed based on their experience in conflict mitigation. Data extracted from the participants' shared stories along with position description documents were synthesized thematically and …

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Security Strategies For Hosting Sensitive Information In The Commercial Cloud, Edward Steven Forde Jan 2017

Security Strategies For Hosting Sensitive Information In The Commercial Cloud, Edward Steven Forde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

IT experts often struggle to find strategies to secure data on the cloud. Although current security standards might provide cloud compliance, they fail to offer guarantees of security assurance. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the strategies used by IT security managers to host sensitive information in the commercial cloud. The study's population consisted of information security managers from a government agency in the eastern region of the United States. The routine active theory, developed by Cohen and Felson, was used as the conceptual framework for the study. The data collection process included IT security manager …

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Impact Of Osteoarthritis Self-Efficacy Toolkit On Adults With Osteoarthritis, Connie Hutley Kiser Jan 2017

Impact Of Osteoarthritis Self-Efficacy Toolkit On Adults With Osteoarthritis, Connie Hutley Kiser

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over 26 million U.S. citizens have a form of arthritis; osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form. Self-efficacy (SE) is defined as a psychological construct which identifies an individual's confidence when performing a behavior. SE is deemed a vital judge of self-management (SM) in those with OA. The purpose of this evidence-based practice, quality improvement project was to improve SE in OA patients. The identified gap in nursing practice was the lack of SE in OA patients. The project question asked whether a toolkit with information regarding SE in OA can improve SE of management of disease-associated symptoms in adults …

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Advanced Triage Protocols In The Emergency Department, Lijuan Zhao Jan 2017

Advanced Triage Protocols In The Emergency Department, Lijuan Zhao

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Overcrowded emergency departments (EDs) are a major problem in the United States resulting in inefficiency in operation and performance. A Southern California hospital ED was the site for this project because it had operated over its maximum capacity during the last decade. Advanced triage protocols integrating standard order sets were implemented to improve quality of care; however, no evaluation of the protocols had been done. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effect of the advanced triage protocols. Two project questions determined whether advanced triage protocols reduced ED length of stay (LOS), number of patients who left without …

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Strategies That Logistics Leaders Use For Achieving Successful Process Improvement, Henry Childs Childs Jan 2017

Strategies That Logistics Leaders Use For Achieving Successful Process Improvement, Henry Childs Childs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The successful implementation of process improvement (PI) could reduce operating costs of the Department of Defense, which could lessen the impact of budget reductions and the mounting costs of the expanding global mission requirements. Organizations fail to achieve the return on investment for PI and expected savings because of leaders' inabilities and experiences in integrating critical success factors into PI to improve processes. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that logistics leaders use to implement PI in the military aviation industry. Six purposively selected group and squadron civilian leaders with over 10 years of …

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Information Technology Training To Promote Collaboration Among Multiple Generations, Gregg Foster Jan 2017

Information Technology Training To Promote Collaboration Among Multiple Generations, Gregg Foster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The decision to implement information technology (IT) initiatives to enhance collaboration among veterans, baby boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Fifth Generation employees continues to challenge organizational leaders. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to identify how the implementation of information technology initiatives, coupled with the knowledge of learning styles, might enhance collaboration among generational cohort employees. The generational cohort theory, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, and the technology acceptance model were the theoretical frameworks used to develop an understanding of the relationships among the cohorts and the acceptance of technology to enhance collaboration. Data were collected from a …

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Working Mothers, Work-Life Balance, Locus Of Control, And Perceived Supportive Factors, Natashia Gridiron Jan 2017

Working Mothers, Work-Life Balance, Locus Of Control, And Perceived Supportive Factors, Natashia Gridiron

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

From 1948 to 2015, there was a dramatic increase of mothers in the workforce. The literature demonstrates that mothers tend to work outside of the home while also maintaining most of the domestic roles. However, the literature does not address how these women are able to balance their roles. There is a gap in the literature concerning the relationship between locus of control, perceived supportive factors, income size, and work-life balance for working mothers. The purpose of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to fill that gap as measured by Rotter's Internal- External Control Scale, Satisfaction with Work and Family Balance …

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Strategies For Minimizing Defects In Offshore-Outsourced Products, More Layen-Layeni Jan 2017

Strategies For Minimizing Defects In Offshore-Outsourced Products, More Layen-Layeni

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business leaders increasingly grapple with longer and more complex supply chain nodes wrought by the globalization of corporate manufacturing processes. The flow of outsourced materials is also more vulnerable to high-profile product-harm crises, sabotage, product defect, and recall problems. The purpose of this single case study was to explore manufacturing strategies used by business leaders of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the United States to minimize the defects in offshore-outsourced products. The sample was 2 OEM business leaders who have successfully reduced the defects in offshore-manufactured products in their Michigan facility. The conceptual framework was agency theory. Data were …

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Health Promotion Behavior Among Hypertensive And Normotensive Armenian Americans, Zoya Minasyan Jan 2017

Health Promotion Behavior Among Hypertensive And Normotensive Armenian Americans, Zoya Minasyan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Hypertension presents a significant health risk to both developed and developing countries, affecting approximately 78 million Americans of various ethnic backgrounds. Though a great deal of research about hypertension and minority groups has been published, few studies have examined hypertension in the Armenian American population in the Los Angeles area, one of the most concentrated Armenian American communities in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in health promotion behavior between hypertensive and normotensive Armenian Americans. The theoretical basis for this study was Pender's health promotion model and the health promoting lifestyle profile (HPLP-II), …

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Impact Of Career And Technical Education Programs, Bradley Eric Gogan Jan 2017

Impact Of Career And Technical Education Programs, Bradley Eric Gogan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder rates are climbing in the United States. Because this population is growing, research is needed to understand how to assist these individuals in pursuit of postsecondary educational and employment opportunities. The purpose of this qualitative study, as reflected in the central research question, was to investigate how a career and technical education program impacted the preparedness of students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder for educational and employment opportunities beyond high school. The conceptual framework was based on Bronfenbrenner's ecological perspective of human development, Zhao and Frank's ecological perspective of technology, and Song's research about distributed cognition. This …

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Factors Affecting Student Loan Default In Proprietary Non-Degree Granting Colleges, Samuel Hanson Kelley Jan 2017

Factors Affecting Student Loan Default In Proprietary Non-Degree Granting Colleges, Samuel Hanson Kelley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The significant problem addressed in this research was the increasing default rate among federal student loan borrowers who attended non-degree-granting proprietary colleges in Florida (i.e., career and technical colleges). The purpose of this study was to identify, better understand, and predict which borrower characteristics increased the likelihood of student loan default at proprietary non-degree-granting colleges. The research was based on the structural-functional and planned behavior theories and utilized a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design to explore the relationship between academic success, age, college graduation status, ethnicity, gender, high school class ranking, and federal student loan default. Self-reported data were obtained from …

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Perceived Job Stress And Life Style Behaviors' Effects On The Quality Of Life Of Registered Nurses, Jennifer Rose Limongiello Jan 2017

Perceived Job Stress And Life Style Behaviors' Effects On The Quality Of Life Of Registered Nurses, Jennifer Rose Limongiello

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine to what extent work demands as measured by perceived job stress affected the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as determined by the number of unhealthy days of registered nurses in the United States. This study was also an investigation of the extent to which other variables such as body-mass index (BMI) and certain lifestyle behaviors affected the HRQOL (number of unhealthy days). The independent variables were perceived job stress, weight (BMI), and lifestyle factors such as tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity, and the mindful eating score, and the dependent variable …

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Standardized Communication At The Bedside: A Review For Reimplementation, Eunice Rosas Jan 2017

Standardized Communication At The Bedside: A Review For Reimplementation, Eunice Rosas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This paper discusses a developmental, interdisciplinary quality improvement project that seeks to improve healthcare communication by standardizing clinician communication across all levels of care. The purpose of this project was to develop an organizational policy and interdisciplinary practice guidelines to standardize the patient handoff at the bedside. The initiative intended to use processes already in place in the organization and to integrate the knowledge from a literature review to plan the implementation of bedside handoff procedures. The quality improvement project process included assembling an interdisciplinary committee; reviewing relevant peer-reviewed literature; and developing policy, relevant guidelines, as well as long-term plans …

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Ptsd With Substance Use Disorders Female Versus Male Veterans: An Archival Study, Geri Cribbs Jan 2017

Ptsd With Substance Use Disorders Female Versus Male Veterans: An Archival Study, Geri Cribbs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The present study examined men and women veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD). Women in the general public have been found to be at greater risk for a diagnosis of PTSD with life-long symptoms. Current literature involving military men and women veterans is at odds over which gender is more likely to have both PTSD and SUD. This study assessed the variables of gender and diagnosis. It also studied whether the age of female veterans affects their likelihood of having both PTSD and SUD. Archival data were gathered from the Veterans Administration (VA) for …

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Relationship Between Mental Health Facilities' Pre-Intake Practices And Children's First Appointment Attendance Rates, Christine Marie De Santis-Collis Jan 2017

Relationship Between Mental Health Facilities' Pre-Intake Practices And Children's First Appointment Attendance Rates, Christine Marie De Santis-Collis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Between 20% and 57% of patients at community mental health centers miss their first mental health appointment, resulting in wasted resources and longer wait times for other patients. To date, only one peer-reviewed quantitative study examined the relationship between appointment reminder practices and children's and adolescents' first appointment attendance rates for community mental health centers. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between first appointment wait times, electronic appointment reminders, phone appointment reminders, and first appointment attendance for U.S. community mental health centers, along with the potential moderating effects of age, ethnicity, and gender. Blumer's symbolic …

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The Development Of Narcissism Among Lawyers And Farmers: A Quantitative Study, Steve Murdock Murdock Jan 2017

The Development Of Narcissism Among Lawyers And Farmers: A Quantitative Study, Steve Murdock Murdock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Narcissism has been identified as a threat to society and the individual. Individuals with high levels of narcissism (narcissistic personality disorder) struggle to maintain jobs, stable relationships, and healthy life perspectives. Without knowledge about the origins of narcissism, mental health professionals may only be treating the symptoms of narcissism and not the factors that perpetuate its development. The purpose of this study was to measure narcissism in farming and law careers and to determine whether career is a factor in the development of narcissism. It was predicted that career would be an important developmental event and process that would have …

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Exploring Frontline Management Strategies Used To Improve Employee Engagement, Michael P. Wise Jan 2017

Exploring Frontline Management Strategies Used To Improve Employee Engagement, Michael P. Wise

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managers who foster at least 65% employee engagement, based on employee engagement surveys conducted by Hewitt Associates, Inc., provide a 19% higher return to shareholders than managers who do not foster a 65% or higher employee engagement level. The purpose of this single site case study was to identify strategies that frontline managers used to build employee engagement, leading to higher organizational performance. The transformational leadership theory was used as the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews from a purposeful sample of 3 frontline managers at a beverage manufacturing facility in the Midwest of the …

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Professionals' Perspective On Mental Health Courts, Martha M. Amos Jan 2017

Professionals' Perspective On Mental Health Courts, Martha M. Amos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, the percentage of incarcerated individuals with mental illness has dramatically increased. It is very hard to provide treatment and care for these defendants in jails or prisons. Currently, there are more mentally ill individuals incarcerated than in psychiatric hospitals. Furthermore, as budget cuts are being decided, urban and rural communities in America are looking at ways to help the mentally ill by initiating a mental health court (MHC) or continuing to fund an already existing MHC. Guided by the therapeutic jurisprudence theory, the purpose of this study was to elicit the opinions from MHC professionals regarding the …

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Development Of A Transformational, Relationship-Based Charge Nurse Program, Kimetha D. Broussard Jan 2017

Development Of A Transformational, Relationship-Based Charge Nurse Program, Kimetha D. Broussard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Leaders of a rural Southwest Oklahoma hospital requested the development of an evidence-based program that could transform unit charge nurses into effective leaders in order to improve the leadership of direct care nurses. Nursing executive leadership discovered staff members were demonstrating high levels of stress, dissatisfaction, and burnout. Press-Ganey survey results revealed that staff felt they were not supported and did not believe nurses cared for patients' or other co-workers' well-being or safety. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems outcome scores, which were below hospital and national desired benchmarks, revealed that patients were not satisfied with the …

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