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How Intensive Care Unit Nurses Conceive Of Personal And Professional Risk When Exercising Clinical Autonomy, William Albert Randall

Dissertations

Nurses are often encouraged to work to their fullest potential, including exercising clinical autonomy--a factor known to decrease morbidity and mortality. Nonetheless, nurses endure historical, societal, and professional barriers to be respected and independent. In the intensive care unit (ICU), critically ill, often unstable patients require nurses to respond quickly and adapt to each unique situation, which may mean migrating outside of formal rules, norms, and policies, or "rule-bending." However, as inherent subordinates of hospital administrators and physicians, rule-bending, no matter how well-intended, necessary, or benign, often cause nurses to function in a grey zone of vulnerability and risk.

I …

The Relationship Of The Work Environment To Compassion Satisfaction And Compassion Fatigue In Critical Care Nurses, Tara L. Sacco

Dissertations

Due to an increased demand for nurses and high attrition, a deficit of 260,000 nurses is expected by 2025. One contributing factor to the current shortage is nurses' exposure to unhealthy work environments. Nurses who work in such environments may be at higher risk for low levels of compassion satisfaction and high levels of compassion fatigue. Empirically, and when examined as separate constructs, the nurses' work environment, compassion satisfaction, and compassion fatigue have been linked to retention. Researchers have theorized that the nurses' work environment may promote the experience of compassion fatigue, while others have indicated that the positive aspects …

Acculturative Stress, Psychological Flexibility, And Cardiovascular Health Behaviors Among Second Generation Arab Americans In The Greater Washington Dc Region, Randa Merizian

Dissertations

Arab Americans are under-represented in cardiovascular (CV) research, but recent evidence reveals they are at disproportionate risk for poor CV health behaviors when compared to the overall United States of America population. The proposed study is designed to measure the impact of two factors, acculturative stress and psychological flexibility, on CV health behaviors among second generation Arab Americans in the Greater Washington DC region. The outcome variable will be measured using the CV Health Behaviors Questionnaire adapted from the American Heart Association Life's Simple 7 (LSS). Participants will be recruited from five local churches and mosques and George Mason University …

The Experiences And Expressions Of Compassion Among Critical Care Nurses, Mark S. Walker

Dissertations

Compassion is a core attribute of nursing practice and is associated with improved patient satisfaction and outcomes. For the last several decades, nurse researchers have been focused on the concept of compassion fatigue. Only recently has compassion appeared in nursing literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and expressions of compassion among critical care nurses.

This dissertation includes a literature review of compassion within nursing education and practice, how it is currently defined, and a review of the empirical data. Next, two interpretative phenomenological qualitative studies were conducted. One study explored the experiences of compassion …

Exploring Mentoring Relationships Among Novice Nurse Faculty: A Grounded Theory, Katie Ruth Busby

Dissertations

The growing and aging population has created an increased demand for health care, resulting in a need for hundreds of thousands more nurses across the United States. As a result, additional nurse faculty are needed to teach the next generation of nurses. However, nurses who enter the faculty role in academia often come from various professional backgrounds with different educational preparation that may not equate to success with the tripartite faculty role of teaching, scholarship, and service. As a way to retain and develop novice faculty, mentoring relationships and programs are promoted as an intervention for career and psychosocial development …

Preceptor Education Program Impact On Implementation Of The Preceptor Role, Nancy Bohnarczyk

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to identify potential benefits and gaps in an academic-based preceptor education program offered to long-term care facilities in New Jersey. Preceptors are experienced nurses who provide guidance, support and instruction to new nurses transitioning from student to professional. Through an online survey and individual interviews, preceptors who participated in the program reflected on to what extent and in what ways the program impacted their understanding of key concepts critical to the preceptor role, as well as their ability to effectively apply these concepts in the work setting. Informed by Rogers' Diffusion of …

Examining The Relationship Between Therapists’ Attachment-Related Characteristics And The Process And Outcome Of Psychotherapy, Char M. Houben

Dissertations

Although psychotherapy researchers have gleaned greater understanding about how client attachment classifications influence the outcome of psychotherapy, relatively few studies have investigated therapists’ effects and have yielded inconclusive results (Steel et al., 2018). In the current study, we investigated how therapist attachment affects changes in the working alliance and client psychological distress over a course of psychotherapy treatment. We evaluated attachment in a sample of 23 therapist trainees from a university-based training clinic in the U.S. with the recently validated, transcript-based Therapist Attunement Scales (TASc; Talia & Muzi, 2017), which measures attunement by moment-to-moment discursive markers from a single psychotherapy …

Health Information Security And Privacy: A Social Science Exploration Of Nurses' Knowledge And Risk Behaviors With Security And Privacy Issues Focusing On Mobile Device Usage, Keith Richard Weiner

Dissertations

This dissertation examines characteristics related to cybersecurity practices of new nurses a year following graduation from nursing school where they may have been prepared to work in environments with EHRs. The study will explore their understanding of cybersecurity as it relates to use and protection of the sources of information in the EHRs, and their own personal risk behaviors with mobile technologies that may put them at risk to outside hacking or misuse of information. The questions that drive the study are the associations with nurses' knowledge of information system security, risk behaviors specifically with mobile device use, and their …

Thermomechanics Of Semiconducting Polymers And Their Morphological Phenomena, Luke Galuska

Dissertations

In contrast to conventional silicon-based electronics, semiconducting polymers show great promise for emerging applications in soft, flexible, and ductile electronic technologies. This is due to their polymeric nature, tailorable structure, and sub-100 nm device thickness. Despite this mechanical novelty, there remains a poor understanding of their structure-property-processing relationships, which has hindered growth within the field. This dissertation elucidates these relationships through investigation of their thermomechanics, and morphological phenomena. This was accomplished through the following projects:

1) To demonstrate the impact of backbone rigidity on semiconducting polymer thermomechanics, we varied the backbone rigidity of an NDI-based polymer by inserting flexible methylene …

Factors And Processes That Influence E-Professionalism Among Pre-Licensure Baccalaureate Nursing Students When Utilizing Social Media, Julie Skrabal

Dissertations

There is limited research related to nursing students' social media use. Because of this, there was a need to further explore how they were using social media and their ability to maintain e-professionalism. This study discovered that pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students are actively using multiple social media accounts on a daily basis. Nursing is considered a trusted and respected profession, therefore, nursing students are held to a high professional standard. This includes maintaining privacy boundaries when managing professional and personal information during social media use.

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the processes pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing …

Comparing Top Industry Demands For Talent To General Studies Curriculum For Competitive Job Acquisition, Gregory Sansone

Dissertations

University General Studies degrees are rapidly increasing in enrollment, driven by an increased focus on college completion. Yet, non-traditional, non-science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees are perceived as less competitive in the job market upon graduation. This study finds that students predominantly acquire skills in three areas, analysis, critical thinking, and communication, regardless of courses taken. Variability in salary suggests that the degree was not a factor in the graduates’ ability for wage earning. Through a combination of skills outcomes for external job postings, natural language processing on course syllabi outcomes, General Studies graduates’ course records, and a survey …

Frequent Top Leadership Transitions And Their Effect On Followers: The Moderating Roles Of Followership Characteristics And Organizational Culture, William Butler

Dissertations

Modern for-profit, large businesses are often organized as a collection of business units, with each unit having a top leader responsible for the unit’s results. While there is much literature about CEO transitions, there is scant literature about leadership transitions at an individual business unit level. Moreover, there is no literature concerning frequent leadership transitions at this level. This study developed and validated a new measure to assess employee perceptions of top leadership transition frequency. To measure employee reactions to perceived top leadership transition frequency, the EVLN scale was utilized. This study identified that employee Exit or Neglect are likely …

The Color Of Conduct: A S.I.S.T.A.'S Tale Of Race, Housing, And Higher Education, Natasha Gibson-Winston

Dissertations

S.I.S.T.A., suffering in silence to be acknowledged, is an acronym that symbolizes the hidden voices of Black women in higher education and abroad. This study examined the experiences of a graduate student woman of color impacted by university housing policies and practices as a judicial student conduct officer at a historically white institution. Using autoethnography as a methodology, grounded in critical race theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework, this qualitative study aims to highlight the ways Black women can and have been harmed in predominantly white spaces and processes within higher education. The application of the aforementioned frameworks found the …

Academic Nurse Educator Attitudes Regarding Their Role Educating Ethnically And Racially Diverse Nursing Students: A Focused Ethnography, Melissa Lillian Weir

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore academic nurse educator attitudes, specifically beliefs and values, regarding their role educating ethnically and racially diverse students through the lens of culturally relevant pedagogy. Focused ethnography methodology was applied through all phases of this research. Interviews with 14 academic nurse educators provided insight into a subculture of nursing. Themes that emerged from data analysis included strengths perspective, teacher-student relationships, diversity as an asset, crucial or difficult conversations, and ethnicity and race setting the narrative. In addition, assimilation and white privilege were discussed due to compelling and varied responses from participants.

Engaging Experts: Overcoming Trust In Risky Environments, Cynthia Goodwin-Sak

Dissertations

In business-to-business sales environments, sellers may choose to bring their go-to expert to a customer meeting, even when there is an expert available who may be more skilled in the product being discussed. The purpose of this study is to identify if an intervention of data, trust transference, ingroup identity, or a combination, influence the choice of expert a salesperson engages for a customer meeting. We tested this question through a series of vignettes and hierarchical linear modeling. The sample came from a US-based technology company, and salespeople in the United States.

We found that trust transference influenced both choice …

Experiences Of Self-Reported Bullying In Minority Nurses Within Acute Care Hospital Workplace Settings, Ekta A. Srinivasa

Dissertations

The Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) defines workplace bullying (WPB) as the repeated mistreatment of a person(s) in the work environment by one or more perpetrator(s) that is detrimental to the health of the targeted individual(s). WPB is considered a universal phenomenon prevalent throughout the world and the United States across a variety of professionals and non-professionals with severe consequences to individuals, groups, and organizational morale. Thirty-five percent of all the known workforce in the United States, across all genders, races, and ethnicities are bullied at work. Racial/Ethnic minority female nurses, as a significant subset of nurses, may be bullied at …

Graduate Nurse's Perspective Of Simulation To Address The Theory-Practice Gap In Nursing, Joset E. Brown

Dissertations

Graduate nurses are being employed to provide care in high acuity care areas, and this becomes a problem of significance as the literature suggests that graduate nurse's experience a deficit in integrating theoretical concepts in the clinical environment, described as the theory-practice gap; which can result in a risk to patient safety and the potential for negative outcomes. Cognitive constructivism was the conceptual framework that guided this study. A qualitative phenomenological design was used to explore the lived experiences of 13 graduate nurses employed at a community hospital in northern New Jersey. After recruiting the participants through purposive sampling, semi …

From Family Storytelling To Emancipatory Knowing: Bearing Witness To The Resistance Of Black Women Leaders In Higher Education, Eboni Sterling

Dissertations

We, in the Black community, have preserved our existence and histories through storytelling. The blessing of stories passed from one generation to the next serves as survival signposts. Amidst this tradition, ongoing dominant narratives work to mischaracterize and dehumanize members of the Black community, specifically Black women. The unique and intersectional position of Black women leaders invites an onslaught of racial challenges in any sector. However, a complex relationship exists between Black women leaders in academia and the metanarratives manufactured by dominant groups. While often viewed as entertainment, the cultural practice of storytelling can incite empowerment and emancipation of the …

Examining Nurse Educators' Stages Of Concern About The Teaching Innovation Of Simulation As Clinical Experience, Lynnette Marie Schreiner

Dissertations

There exists a critical need to boost the overall number of baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses to accomplish goals for providing high-quality healthcare for all United States citizens (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Given the limited number of sites needed to facilitate clinical learning experiences for pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing students, using simulation as a technologically modern innovation in nursing instruction is an approach to help overcome the lack of traditional clinical opportunities. The purpose of this study was to examine the nurse educators' concerns about using simulation by determining 1) the intensity of nurse educators' stages of concern about using simulation as clinical …

An Evaluation Of A Shared Leadership Training Program, Lavonda Ann Allen

Dissertations

The purpose of the quantitative quasi-experimental equivalent time series study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a work based shared leadership training program in a less than 200 bed hospital in rural, south-central United States. Nursing shortages and the current emphasis on quality are factors that make recruitment and retention of nurses important to healthcare organizations. Organizational support for bed side decision making can improve staff nurse satisfaction, thereby facilitating recruitment and retention of nursing staff. Work based action learning training programs are a mechanism to improve team members' use of shared leadership and decision making. A review of literature …

Drawing My Story: Children's Experiences In The Hospital, Christy Marguerite Gifford Solorio

Dissertations

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Crossing the Quality Chasm recommended an increased focus on patient-centered care to improve patients' experience in health care; however, patient-centered care aimed directly at children remains elusive. While the IOM report states that health care cannot be improved without the direct engagement of patients, few studies directly engage children, as patients, to better understand children's experiences in health care from the child's point of view.

The Relationships Among Job Satisfaction, Length Of Employment, And Mentoring Of Nursing Faculty, Zelda Suzan

Dissertations

The shortage of faculty in nursing education programs has been well documented by the National League for Nursing. Job satisfaction is important in retaining nurse educators, and one New York nursing program was interested in examining the potential impact of mentoring on satisfaction. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine job satisfaction, measured by the Job Descriptive Index/Job in General scale (JDI/JIG), between nurse faculty participants in formal mentoring programs compared to participants receiving an informal type of mentoring. In addition, the length of employment was examined as a possible factor in predicting job satisfaction. The theoretical framework …

How Persons With Schizophrenia Experience Connecting With Mental Health Professionals, Susan V. Brammer

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a substantive theory that explains how persons with schizophrenia (PWS) experience connecting with mental health professionals (MHPs). Nine PWS, clients from two community mental health centers, were asked to recount their interactions with MHPs. The interview transcripts were analyzed through the grounded theory methodology of Strauss and Corbin (1998). The interactional problem between PWS and MHPs stems from the stigma associated with schizophrenia. The central concept emerged from the data analysis as Connecting Through Humanness. Connecting Through Humanness is a three-part process where PWS identify whether MHPs stereotype them as schizophrenics or …

Can An Expert Opinion Mitigate Racially Biased Diversion Decisions? An Empirical Examination In The Context Of Reoffense Risk Assessment, Riley Davis

Dissertations

This study aimed to better understand the circumstances in which the racial identity of a justice impacted person can extraneously influence post-conviction placement decisions based on specialized re-offense prediction tools, specifically decisions at the crux of community supervision and jail time. Participants (N = 448) were exposed to one of nine conditions (3 descriptors of racial identities 3 levels of risk information) in which they were asked to rate their agreement with risk findings, rank the categorical risk of a hypothetical justice-involved person, and make management decisions (i.e., incarceration or community supervision; mandated treatment). It was hypothesized that participants …

Educational Priorities For The Future Of Emergency Nursing, Anna Maria Valdez

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how and to what extent current societal and healthcare trends will impact the educational needs of the emergency nurse. Additionally, this study sought to draw upon that information to facilitate the development of expert consensus about the major educational priorities for emergency nurses during the time period of 2008-2018. While there is a limited amount of current research related to the societal and healthcare trends that are impacting emergency nursing, an extensive literature review produced no studies that identified educational priorities in emergency nursing. A mixed methodology, qualitative-then-quantitative study design using a …

Overcoming The Imposter Phenomenon: Exploring The Strategies Secondary Educators Used To Cope During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Barbra J.C. Bedwell

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this descriptive mixed-method study was to explore and describe the coping skills used by secondary teachers who identified as experiencing the impostor phenomenon (IP) by the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) (Clance, 1985) to overcome the nine behavioral characteristics of IP during the transition to distance learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology. This descriptive mixed-methods research design used both quantitative and qualitative techniques to identify teachers with IP and explore the coping techniques they used during distance learning. First, a quantitative 20-question diagnostic survey, the CIPS, was used to identify teachers with IP. …

The Perceptions Of Educators On Transition Planning & The Postsecondary Transition Readiness Outcomes Of Students With Disabilities, Marisa Duarte

Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative descriptive research was to gain the perspective of educators on transition planning for students with disabilities in two public school districts in the state of Kentucky. The Individual Disabilities Education Act and Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act are laws requiring students with disabilities to be transition ready upon their graduation from high school. A sample of 12 educators, representing two Kentucky districts, who participate in transitioning students with disabilities, completed The Secondary Educator Transition Questionnaire survey. Data from the districts’ state report cards indicated students with disabilities were not transition ready in comparison with students without …

Special Education Teacher Burnout: Examining The Role Of Educator Preparation Programs In Prevention, Brittany L. Straub

Dissertations

Teacher burnout is increasingly problematic, especially for special education teachers who have a unique set of job responsibilities. Survey and interview data was used in this phenomenological study to examine how the educator preparation program (EPP) experience and self-authorship journey of early career special education teachers impact their potential to experience burnout. Data findings regarding level of self-perceived burnout, recollections of being or not being taught stress management and coping strategies in their EPPs, recollections of the self-authorship journey, and intentions for remaining in the career are shared in this dissertation. The essence of this phenomenon can be summed up …

Components Of Effective Instructional Coaching: Examining Instructional Coach, Teacher, And Principal Perspectives, Becky Mathison

Dissertations

Instructional coaching has been shown to be an effective way to improve teacher practice through structured partnership and goal-oriented collaboration. This qualitative study examined the perspectives of instructional coaches, teachers, and principals on the presence of six key components of effective instructional coaching programs: building relationships, remaining connected to students, developing leadership skills, modeling for teachers, building in plan time, and remaining focused on the goal. An examination of the data collected via open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews indicated that the Aqua Valley School District may strengthen their instructional coaching program through addressing how coaches build relationships, remain connected to …

Assessing The Relationship Between Mandatory Faculty Development For Online Career College Instructors And Transformative Learning, Tremayne Simpson

Dissertations

Online teaching and learning has become a primary focal point for higher education administrators. Institutions have focused their strategic plans to maximize opportunities to grow their campuses, through distance education. A consistent issue that has surfaced with distance education initiatives is teacher preparation for online education. The issue is further compounded in proprietary institutions that may have limited resources and guidance for structuring effective faculty development programs. It is beneficial for faculty program developers to implement adult learning concepts into their courses to improve the overall training transfer for instructors. Transformative learning is an adult learning theory that focuses on …