Digital Commons Network^™

Pilot Testing Okay With Asthma™: A Digital Story For Psychosocial Asthma Management, Tami Hodges Wyatt

Dissertations

Asthma, an obstructive airway disease characterized by recurrent episodes of breathlessness and wheezing, is the most prevalent chronic illness among children in the United States. An estimated 7.7 million American children have asthma. Health experts suggest that cognitive, emotional, and behavioral variables contribute to its severity. To date, asthma education programs have focused on asthma triggers, behaviors to manage asthma, and asthma medications; however, they have not addressed the emotional component of children's experience with asthma. This is important because the way children feel about their asthma, or their attitude, affects what they learn and how they apply it. The …

To Lift Or Not To Lift: An Institutional Ethnography Of Patient Handling Practices, Hans-Peter De Ruiter

Dissertations

The handling (lifting, mobilizing, moving etc) of patients is an integral part of the carework in health-care institutions. For obvious reasons, this puts healthcare providers at risk for musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs); furthermore the risk of such injuries has been considered an inherent risk of care work. In the last decade a concerted effort has been made to decrease (with the goal of eliminating) caregiver injuries by implementing safe patient handling programs (SPHP). These programs are presented as evidence-based algorithms that require the use of mechanical lifting devices. Institutions implement SPHPs as policies and procedural guidelines to which caregivers must conform. …

Effects Of Extra-Curricular Project-Based Learning Experiences On Self-Efficacy And Interest In Stem Fields In High School, Taihao Kevin Wan

Dissertations

As our society and systems become more technologically advanced, increasing opportunities exist for students interested to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. However, pervasive inequities have led to differences in the extent to which women and underrepresented racial/ethnic groups choose to pursue study and career pathways in STEM. Project-Based Learning (PBL) is among the most widely researched strategies suggested to support student learning and motivation and has more recently been applied to school-based efforts to increase student interest in STEM related fields. Rooted in Social Cognitive Career Theory, this study examined changes in students’ self-reported general …

Unpacking Educational Harm: Parent And Teacher Perceptions Of English Learners, Amalia Guzmán Ayala

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to: (1) provide the opportunity to Spanish-speaking parents of English Learner (EL) students to voice their perceptions regarding policies, procedures, and programs related to ELs, and (2) provide the opportunity to teachers to share their perceptions regarding the policies, procedures, and programs related to ELs. The research design for this qualitative study was exploratory and descriptive. The key findings were: (1) Hispanic Spanish-speaking parents had limited knowledge about policies, procedures, and programs related to ELs; and (2) Teacher knowledge about the policies, procedures and programs related to ELs was limited. The conclusions were: (1) …

Evaluating The Impact Of A Mindfulness Intervention On Mindful Attention And Awareness Resilience To Stress, And Perceived Stress In Newly Licensed Nurses In A Nurse Residency Program, Vicki L. Washington

Dissertations

A career in the healthcare profession of nursing provokes significant stress in newly licensed nurses. Previous studies suggested that mindful practice enhanced well-being by bringing awareness to thinking and living in the present moment (being mindful), decreased stress, and enhanced resilience to stress.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a mindfulness intervention on mindful attention and awareness, resilience to stress, perceived stress, and health status in newly licensed nurses in a nurse residency program (NRP).

Grounded Leadership: Exploring Health And Wellness Strategies Of Exemplary Field Grade Commanders In The California Army National Guard, Christopher G. Schoenwandt

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to identify and describe what exemplary field grade commanders in the California Army National Guard (CA ARNG) do to maintain their physical, emotional, intellectual, social, vocational, and spiritual health.

Methodology. This study used a mixed methods approach relying on the collection of data to provide for a more flexible platform to triangulate multiple data sources and increase the validity of the study’s findings. The study used a quantitative survey to examine how exemplary field grade commanders in the CA ARNG rated their use of grounded leadership strategies combined with follow-on …

Exemplary Urban Unified District Superintendents Leading With Transformational Strategies During The Covid-19 Global Health Crisis, Sandra Hernandez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to identify and describe strategies exemplary urban unified district superintendents used to lead in crisis using the five critical tasks of strategic crisis leadership (sense making, decision making and coordination, meaning making, accounting, and learning) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, it was the purpose to understand and describe the experiences of exemplary leaders during a time of crisis.

Methodology: In this qualitative multiple case study, interviews were used to secure data from exemplary urban unified district superintendents to identify and describe the strategies they used to lead during the …

Parental Perceptions Of Family Management Styles In Families With A Child With Asthma, Annette Hines

Dissertations

Asthma is the most common chronic illness among children in the United States, and families who have a child with asthma face daily challenges to maintaining a normal family life. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed that studied four risk factors and four protective factors derived from the literature that impact these families, in order to better understand how nurses can meet the health care needs of the children with asthma and their families. Knafl's (1990, 1996) family management styles framework was applied as the theoretical framework of the study, and the concept of normalization was measured using the Family …

Factors Affecting The Outcome Of The National Council Licensure Examination Among Nontraditional Learners From Associate Degree Nursing Programs, Angela C. Gaud

Dissertations

The composition of student population in higher education is a reflection of a globalized society and current socioeconomic conditions. Characteristics of nontraditional adult learners have a significant impact in the achievement of their academic goals. A more diverse composition of students enrolled in nursing programs poses an important challenge to NCLEX-RN pass/fail outcomes. Studies that explore or predict the factors associated with NCLEX-RN performance amongst nontraditional adult learners after graduation are limited.

This study analyzed how the demographic, social, and psychological factors observed in the characteristic profile of the nontraditional adult learner are related to NCLEX-RN performance for graduates of …

Team Learning Within Nurse Teams In A Home Care Organization, Carol A. Gavan

Dissertations

The purpose of this interpretive case study was to determine whether the team learning model (Dechant, Marsick, & Kasl, 1991), which served as a framework, aptly described team learning as it took place among professional service teams in a home health care environment. The learning effectiveness of two teams, of 12 and 14 home care nurses respectively plus their managers and administrators, was described using observations, document analysis, interviews, a literature review, and the Team Learning Survey (Dechant & Marsick, 1993) to gather data.

It Is Always The Monkey On My Back: The Diagnosis Of Cirrhosis, Mary Tiberg

Dissertations

A significant current challenge in health care today is meeting the needs of a population that has chronic disease, especially for those that have a health condition with a life threatening long -term outcome (Falkenstern, et al., 2005). In these health illness transitions, when there are no secure expectations, there are the additional burdens of enduring emotional unease, facing the closing stages of physical stamina, and confronting an indeterminate future. The objective of this study was to explore and describe the experience of those individuals who have been diagnosed with cirrhosis, which marks the beginning of end stage liver disease …

Empathy As A Moderator Of Preservice Teachers’ Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy And Outcome Expectancy Beliefs, Juta Tammachart

Dissertations

The main purpose of this research was to examine the relationship model between culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE) and culturally responsive teaching outcome expectancy beliefs (CRTOE) in Thailand. There were two research questions outlined in the study: what is the relationship between preservice teachers’ CRTSE and CRTOE? Also, does the culturally responsive teaching teacher empathy (CRTTE) moderate the relationship of preservice teachers’ CRTSE and CRTOE?

Based on the CRT standards by Siwatu (2005), there were three measures applied in the study: CRTSE, CRTOE, and CRTTE scales. These instruments were piloted with 536 preservice teachers in the Faculty of Education, Prince …

The Experience Of Being Aware Of Disease Status In Women With Recurrent Ovarian Cancer: A Phenomenological Study, Catherine Scott Finlayson

Dissertations

In the United States, each year about 22,440 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the deadliest gynecological cancer - with an estimated 14,080 deaths each year. Patients with recurrent ovarian cancer have more options today due to advances in treatments, and specifically, with the advent of immunotherapies. Many have to make many treatment decisions throughout the disease trajectory and awareness of disease status is one of the factors of the treatment decision making process in the ovarian cancer population. To date the literature has generally conceptualized and operationalized awareness of disease status in cancer patients from the health care provider's …

Implementation Of An Opiate Use Disorder (Oud) Screening Tool To Reduce Opioid Abuse In A Pain Management Clinic, Brian D. Pervis

Dissertations

The long-term use of opioids to manage chronic pain in those with an opiate use disorder (OUD) is dangerous and poses a considerable risk of death. Pain management providers must have protocols and tools in place for OUD screening and referral. If OUD is not managed correctly, such as through provider education, screening, and referral, morbidity and mortality rates will severely affect society (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). This quality improvement (QI) project's PICOT was among providers in a pain management treatment center, how will implementing an evidence-based OUD screening tool, compared to no screening tool, affect OUD …

Nurse And Patient Perceptions Of The Pre-Admission Nursing Practice Model: Linking Theory To Practice, Jane M. Flanagan

Dissertations

The Pre-Admission Nursing Practice Model (PNPM) was developed to change the delivery of nursing care to patients preparing for surgery. The generation of the PNPM was guided by nursing knowledge, specifically Rogerian science, Newman's Health as Expanding Consciousness and Watson' theory of Transpersonal Caring. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the model on patient and nurse perceptions and experiences following exposure to the PNPM across the perioperative period.

Lived Experiences Of New Nurses With Lateral Violence And Their Decision To Remain In The Nursing Profession, Lorraine Ann Hover

Dissertations

The issue of lateral violence, or nurse-on-nurse violence, is a major factor in why new nurses leave the nursing profession within the first two years of professional practice. There is considerable research into mitigating factors, why nurses leave, and programs to address lateral violence, however, little to no research has been conducted on why nurses choose to remain in the profession despite their experiences. This lack of research necessitates the need for further study into the lived experiences of new nurses with lateral violence and their decision to remain in the profession. This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study helps to address …

The Effects Of Swamping On Nurses And The Implications For Professional Development, Barbara Ann Hocking

Dissertations

Nursing is a profession that is essential to the successful functioning of the health care system. The problems that compromise essential nursing practice within the work environment result in a costly health care quality crisis with three detrimental outcomes: (1) medical errors, (2) fragmentation of the care continuum, and (3) inefficiencies in health care processes.

This study aimed to investigate, through interviews and researcher observations, how nurses are affected by their environment in order to inform a plan for professional development.

Travel Nurse Job Performance: Integration Factors As Predictors, And Travel Nurse Integration Experiences, Carol Ann Tuttas

Dissertations

For more than three decades, travel nurses have bridged critical experience and volume gaps in hospital staffing across the US. Trends in travel nurse use over the past decade offer no promise of a reduction over the years ahead. Travel nurses begin each 13-week assignment with an abbreviated onboarding agenda after which they are expected to reach productivity and fit in with the healthcare team to ensure seamless quality care to patients. Concerns have been raised among healthcare leaders about possible unfavorable patient outcomes related to the use of supplemental nurse staff. Nonetheless, no researchers have examined relationships between job …

Vigilance Experiences: Cancer Patients, Families, And Nurses, Wendy C. Kooken

Dissertations

Cancer disease, treatment, and errors in health care put patients at increased risk for poor outcomes. To improve outcomes and protect patients, researchers recommend increased vigilance; yet, research on vigilance in health care is minimal. There are even fewer studies on patients, family members, and nurses' experiences of vigilance, although such studies could contribute to understanding mechanisms that foster vigilance within and across groups.

The purpose of this study was twofold: Aim 1 was to describe the experiences of vigilance as perceived at the individual levels of patients receiving treatment for cancer, family members of a patient with cancer, and …

"All For The Family:" A Case Study On The Migration Of Philippine Educated Nurses To Ontario Through The Live-In Caregiver Program, Oluwabukola Oladunni Salami

Dissertations

Despite evidence that suggests that nurses migrate to Ontario through the Live-in Caregiver Program, no research has been conducted on this group of nurses in Ontario. This study addresses that gap utilizing the transnational feminist concept of "global care chains" in a single holistic case study design to explore the experience of nurses who migrate to Ontario through the Live-in Caregiver Program (2001-2011), and examine the diverse perspectives of stakeholders on issues of rights and obligations of these nurses. Fifteen live-in caregivers and nine policy stakeholders were interviewed, and an analysis undertaken of immigration and nursing policy documents. Findings indicate …

Latinas In The Pipeline To Baccalaureate-Prepared Nursing: Challenges And Supports In Persistence To Degree And Professional Licensure, Cheryl A. Sheils

Dissertations

The United States is rapidly becoming a more racially diverse nation. Racial minority groups are projected to make up 47% of the total population in 2050 and if current population trends continue, they are projected to surpass the non-minority population by the end of the twenty-first century. Furthermore, the Latino population, already the nation's largest minority group, is expected to triple in size and is projected to account for 29% of the total U.S. population by 2050. Unfortunately, the educational pipeline has created a shortage of Latinos in higher education. At the same time, the United States is suffering from …

Community College Nursing Students' Experience Of Repeating A Course After Academic Failure, Lisa S. Lewis

Dissertations

This narrative inquiry study looked at community college nursing student repeaters, those who have failed a required nursing course and then gone on to repeat the course. Nursing student repeaters are a population at especially high risk for attrition, and about whom little is known. The community college setting is an important site of nursing education, where approximately half of new nurses do their pre-licensure schooling and where attrition is a particular problem. Fourteen nursing student repeaters were interviewed and eleven of them provided a letter of advice to a future nursing student repeater. While each participant had a unique …

Excelling In Telework: A Delphi Study, Ashley Carlin Smith

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to determine the factors IT management experts identify as necessary for healthcare employees to reach positive decision outcomes in virtual workplaces, to rate the importance of the identified factors, and to determine the practices IT management experts recommend for implementation for the five most important factors. Methodology: This study used a Delphi method that consisted of three rounds to collect data from 15 IT management professionals who are experts in leading virtual teams at Southern California hospitals. In Round 1, participants were asked to identify the factors healthcare employees need to reach …

Evidence-Based Educational In Home Program To Improve Self-Management Adherence And A1c Levels For Patients With Diabetes, Garrett Blaker

Dissertations

Background: Diabetes diagnosis rates continue to grow, affecting many patients, communities, and health care organizations. One of the greatest challenges faced by patients with diabetes is maintaining diabetes self-management activities including self-blood glucose monitoring, physical activity, a healthy diet, and daily foot checks in order to control their diabetes and reduce their A1c. Diabetic Medical Concepts (DMC) previously provided intermittent and inconsistent in-home diabetes self-management education. An in-home diabetes self-management education program, adherence system and A1c testing component was implemented among DMC's patients as part of a quality improvement project.

Aim: The aim of the quality improvement project was to …

Testing Peplau's Theory Of Interpersonal Relations In Nursing Using Data From Patient Experience Surveys, Thomas A. Hagerty

Dissertations

Patients' experiences in hospitals are important indicators of quality. Patients' opinions about their experiences in hospitals are significantly associated with their opinions of those hospitals' nursing services. Nurses in the US have traditionally focused on patients' experiences, and Peplau's (1952/1991) theory of interpersonal relations is early evidence of that focus. This study tested Peplau's (1952/1991) theory of interpersonal relations in nursing using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on data from 12,436 patient experience surveys. Two hypotheses were supported: (a) patient experience data (i.e. responses on the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems - Hospital [HCAHPS] survey) collected from patients in …

What Does Masculinity Have To Do With It? The Roles Of Fathers In The Socialization Of Children’S Emotions And Emotion Regulation, Kathryn Cherry

Dissertations

Emotion regulation skills are important in a variety of domains throughout the lifespan, including psychological, social, academic, and occupational functioning. Research on children’s emotion regulation skill development often examines the family, exploring caregiver approaches to emotion socialization. However, this research has predominantly been conducted with mothers. Fathering is of particular interest to children’s emotional development for a variety of reasons, including the role of traditional Western masculine norms in gendered differences in emotion expression and regulation techniques. Fathers’ conformity with masculine norms and difficulty with emotion regulation have potential to impact their emotion socialization practices, and therefore relate to their …

The Relationship Between The Protean Career Attitude And Feedback After The Employee Promotion Process, Marcie Overstreet

Dissertations

The deterioration of the traditional organizational career model progressively challenges employees to manage their careers (Briscoe et al., 2006). Increasingly, individuals self-manage their careers, focusing on both professional and personal circumstances throughout a career (Li et al., 2019). Employees continue to pursue career advancement by developing their knowledge, skills, and competencies. While individuals seek career development pursuing more challenging and higher paying jobs, organizations also show interest in career development.

Organizations take an interest in the career growth of employees because career advancement leads to increased morale and productivity and reduced costs associated with employee turnover (Bowness, 2019). Increased morale …

Employees' Expectations Of Leadership Development Programs And Their Effects On Anticipated Voluntary Employee Turnover And Organizational Commitment, Candace Johnson

Dissertations

Employee retention and commitment have gained attention over the past years (Mutsuddi, 2016). Commitment is the link that connects an individual to their organization, thereby decreases the probability of turnover (Allen & Meyer, 1990; Hague et al., 2019). According to Mutsuddi (2016), decreasing employee turnover remains a critical element for sustainment in any organization. However, most organizations invest in policies and practices to increase employee commitment; those same practices can lead to employee turnover (Mutsuddi, 2016). This study explores the effects of leadership development programs and their impact on organizational commitment and anticipated voluntary employee turnover. A qualitative research design …

The Understanding Of Digital And Multimedia Evidence (Dme) By Attorneys And Digital Forensic Examiners (Dfe) Within The United States Criminal Justice System, Joseph Levi White

Dissertations

One goal of this research was to determine potential themes that may influence the understanding of Digital and Multimedia Evidence (DME) by attorneys and Digital Forensic Examiners (DFE) within the United States Criminal Justice System. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather information from experienced criminal attorneys and DFEs regarding potential influences on their understanding of DME. The results of these interviews were transcribed, and the data coded to allow for qualitative analysis. Five themes were developed from this data and are thought to play a role in understanding of DME by attorneys and DFEs: motivation for involvement in the …

Granulins In Norm And Neurodegenerative Pathologies, Anukool Bhopatkar

Dissertations

Granulins (GRNs) are small, cysteine-rich modules produced from the proteolytic cleavage of the precursor protein called progranulin (PGRN). GRNs are present in the form of seven tandem repeats within the precursor and are known to be produced in the extracellular and in lysosomal environments. In physiology, PGRN and GRNs plays pleiotropic roles such as neuronal growth and differentiation, immunomodulation, wound healing. Recent studies have implicated pathological role for PGRN in Alzheimer disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) but specific mechanism(s) remains unclear. However, potential interactions between GRNs and Ab42 and TDP-43 seem like a plausible underlying mechanism. Studies presented here …