Digital Commons Network^™

A Correlational Study Of Work Environment Factors And Organizational Commitment In Southern California Staff Nurses, Rosemary Haggins

Dissertations

The main purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to examine the association between work environment factors and organizational commitment in staff nurses working in southern California hospitals. Data were generated from 136 of the 205 (66%) purposely selected nurses attending a Sigma Theta Tau research conference.

Implementing Rowley's Aseptic Technique On Wound Care In A Home Health Setting, Kelechi E. Ogu

Dissertations

Pathogen contamination is a risk factor for patients with wounds in home-based care. At the project site, there was no current evidence-based wound care guidelines for the nurses to use during wound care. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental quality improvement project was to determine to what degree the implementation of Rowley's aseptic non-touch technique (ANTT) would impact wound healing when compared to the current practice among adult patients in a home health facility in urban Texas over four weeks. Jean Watson's health promotion theory and Prochaska's trans-theoretical model were utilized to guide this project. Data on wounds was retrieved …

Successfully Scaling Digital Technology Ventures: An Empirical Study Of The Strategic Choices That Maximize Firm Value, Scott Morris

Dissertations

Our study aims to understand the choices managers working for subscription-based digital ventures must make at arguably the most critical juncture of their firm’s lifecycle. With few slack resources to repair mistakes, managers at these scaling firms must make decisions that are larger in scope and scale than in the start-up phase. Tradeoffs are often required as decision-makers face choices such as investing more resources in sales and marketing to drive growth or in product development to improve quality and add new products or features. In many instances, the question is whether to forego some growth opportunities to maximize profitability …

Recognizing Burden In Unpaid Caregivers Of Patients With End Stage Renal Disease, Joanne Affinito

Dissertations

Aims and objectives. To analyze if an association exists in unpaid caregivers positive aspect of caregiving and self-assessed level of health have on their perceived degree of burden when caring for end stage renal disease patients.

Background. The literature has recognized caregiver burden as having negative consequences such as depression, anxiety or poor perceived health. Many caregivers are unprepared to take on their new role. There is limited research on the positive aspects experienced by caregiving and their perception of self-assessed health.

Method. A sample of 89 caregivers responded to an online survey distributed by The National Kidney Foundation using …

Role Of Ripk3 In The Pathogenesis Of Tet2 Mutant Hematopoietic Malignancies, Kanak Joshi

Dissertations

Hematopoiesis is dynamically controlled by an epigenetic landscape that regulates gene transcription. Ten-eleven translocation 2 (TET2) is a Fe2+ and α-ketoglutarate (α-KG)-dependent dioxygenase that regulates the transcriptional status of genes associated with hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and multiple stages of lineage commitment and differentiation. TET2 mutations are commonly detected in almost all types of hematopoietic malignancies, including myeloproliferative disorder, acute myeloid leukemia, and peripheral T-cell lymphomas. In most cases, TET2 is a founder mutation that occurred in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). The mutant HSCs undergo clonal expansion and evolution with the accumulation of additional mutations for malignant transformation. Microbial-stimulated inflammatory …

Experiences And Perceptions Of Rural Postpartum Women With Substance Use Disorders Inclusive Of Opioids Regarding Their Care, Debra L. Kramlich

Dissertations

Perinatal opioid use and neonatal withdrawal continue to rise rapidly in the face of the growing epidemic of opioid addiction in the United States, with rural areas more severely impacted. Despite several decades of research and development of practice guidelines, maternal and neonatal outcomes have not improved substantially. This focused ethnography aimed to address that gap by exploring rural women's experiences and perceptions of care to inform development of efficacious, holistic models of care to improve outcomes for these women and their children. Participant observations, oral accounts and formal interviews, and artifact review (i.e., health records, any print and electronic …

Trust In The Nurse And Perceived Quality Nursing Care By Adult Oncology Patients With Implantable Vascular Access Port Devices: A Mixed Methods Study, Lois Rajcan

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of nurse behaviors that promote trust and quality nursing care as perceived by oncology patients with totally implantable vascular access devices (TIVAD).

Lgbtq+ Adults During Post-Breakup Appraisals: Understanding Adaptive Communication Coping Mechanisms Following The Termination Of A Non-Heterosexual Romantic Relationship, Nur E Makbul

Dissertations

This study highlights the intersections among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and/or Other Non-Heterosexual (LGBTQ+) individuals' and/or communities' experiences with romantic relationships, relationship crises, emotional appraisals, coping mechanisms, and cyber tech practices. It employs a mixed-method approach, including in-depth interviews with LGBTQ+ participants and a digital ethnographic investigation of social media platforms. The theoretical framework and review of literature have been drawn from the queer perspectives of numerous critical cultural theories, and media and communication theories. Interviews with LGBTQ+ participants largely demonstrate three distinct mechanisms of coping, including emotional, behavioral, and psychological that LGBTQ+ individuals use after the termination of …

Exploring Relationships Between Practicing Registered Nurses (Rns) Pharmacology Knowledge And Medication Errors, Coleen Kumar

Dissertations

Medication errors result in significant negative patient outcomes and major costs to the health care system. Registered nurses (RNs) assume a major role in the medication administration process demanding high-level knowledge and skills.

This study aimed to determine if there was a relationship between practicing RNs' pharmacology knowledge and medication error occurrence.

Teaching Professional Accountability In Nursing: A Phenomenological Investigation Of Faculty Experiences, Lorretta C. Krautscheid

Dissertations

Professional nursing organizations and nursing education credentialing agencies describe accountability as an essential attribute underpinning professional practice. Although accountability is foundational to nursing practice, little is known about how nurse educators teach accountability. The purpose of this qualitative research was to understand and describe socially constructed meanings nurse educators attribute to the phenomenon of teaching accountability. This study brought out of concealment the real-world teaching experiences of nurse educators. Participants (n=6) were nurse educators who taught accountability in baccalaureate academic classrooms. Data collection occurred via face-to-face semi-structured interviews. An interpretive phenomenological design was utilized throughout data collection and …

Implementation Of A Cauti Toolkit For Hospitalized Patients, Barbara Mauger

Dissertations

Catheter-associated urinary tract (CAUTI) infections can be a serious complication during a hospital stay. The project site noted a lack of an evidence based intervention for CAUTI prevention and a solution was sought. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental quality improvement project was to determine if the implementation of the translation of the research by Gould et al. using the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Guideline for Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections would impact the number of CAUTIs among hospitalized adult patients. The project took place in an acute care hospital intensive care unit in urban California over …

Baccalaureate Nursing Student And Faculty Views Of Effective Teaching, Kelley Noll

Dissertations

This study aimed to determine baccalaureate nursing student and nursing faculty views of effective teaching. Using the Teacher Behavior Checklist (TBC), a psychometrically sound tool, participants were sent an email containing a link to an online survey (Keeley, Smith, & Buskist, 2006). Baccalaureate nursing students (n=353) and nursing faculty (n=26) were sent the email with a response rate of 25.2% (n=89) and 69.2% (n=18) respectively. Participants were asked to rank order the top 10 qualities and associated behaviors they perceived as effective to nursing education.

‘The Magic Of Flowers’: An Explorative Study Into The Ways Floral Decorations Influence The Experience Of Guests In A Food Setting, In Contemporary Ireland, Johanna Banaditsch

Dissertations

This research project explores the influence of floral decorations on the experience of a diner in a food setting in contemporary Ireland by examining what and how dining experiences are designed, where floral decorations are relevant in this context and how they specifically influence people in these settings.

The research was conducted using the philosophical worldview of interpretivism. In order to answer the five sub-research questions and thus achieve the research aim, the research draws on existing literature on hospitality experiences, literature on the influence of flowers and qualitative primary research conducted through semi-structured in-depth interviews with flower providers and …

The Mentoring Experiences Of Mid-Level Leaders In Higher Education As They Relate To Leadership Development, Adam Ek

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the mentoring experiences of mid-level leaders in private non-profit higher education as it relates to their leadership development.

Methodology: This phenomenological study identified and described the mentoring experiences of 15 mid-level leaders in private non-profit higher education in California as they related to leadership development. Respondents were chosen based on specific criteria, snowball sampling, and finally convenience. The researcher collected data and coded the data for themes based upon frequency counts.

Findings: Examination of the qualitative data from the 15 mid-level leaders in Private, Non-Profit Higher Education yielded 10 …

Planned Happenstance: Career Decision Making And Executive Leaders In The California Community College System, Rita Soultanian

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how community college leaders responded to unpredictable events and opportunities that affected their career decisions using the five elements of planned happenstance theory (Mitchell et al., 1999). A second purpose was to understand how California community college leaders perceived that career planning enhanced or hindered their career decision-making. A further purpose was to identify recommendations community college leaders believed will advance the career trajectories of future leaders.

Methodology: This study used a qualitative approach to understand the lived experiences of vice presidents of student services to provide insights to inform …

Atrial Fibrillation Management In Hispanic Adults, Tania Borja

Dissertations

Background: Research has found atrial fibrillation (AF) to be the primary or a contributing cause of death on 183,321 death certificates, and an underlying cause of death for 26,535 Americans in 2019. Findings indicate an increased AF diagnosis in White people compared to racial and ethnic minorities, contrasting widespread findings of increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease and ischemic strokes in minorities. Significant disparities—by race and socioeconomic status in disease distribution and access to testing and lifesaving treatments—have been documented, specifically associated with social determinants of health (SDOH); i.e., the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. …

Evaluation Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Determine Phsyical Activity In Saudi Female Adolescents, Muna Alali

Dissertations

The primary purpose of the cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between self-reported PA and TPB psychosocial factors, including attitude toward PA, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and PA intention among Saudi female adolescents in the Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia.

Advocacy On Facebook: A Content Analysis Of How Small Los Angeles- Based Npos Use Social Media To Engage Audiences, Wen Chen Denq

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the Facebook activities of seven small nonprofits in Los Angeles to understand their social media use and audience responses. Prior research has distinguished three broader engagement strategies used by Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs), including information provision (awareness-raising), action-related messaging (mobilizing), and community-building efforts (organizing). These strategies can play essential roles in drawing in audiences, but also in moving individual supporters toward greater levels of engagement by increasing donations or becoming more engaged champions for the cause. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of organizational Facebook messages and audience responses was conducted over 3 months. The NPOs included in this …

It's Nerve Racking: The Lived Experiences Of New Graduate Clinical Care Nurses Using Simulation As Part Of An Orientation Program, Robert L. Kerner Jr.

Dissertations

The nursing profession has adopted high fidelity simulation (HFS) on the premise that it provides suitable opportunities for experiential learning in a non-threatening environment and it will improve clinical skills and critical thinking through repetition and reflective practice. Numerous quantitative studies have examined the effect of HFS on skill acquisition, critical thinking and teamwork, predominantly with experienced clinicians. The voice of the learner has been conspicuously absent in the discussion. The phenomenon of interest in this study was the experience of simulation for new graduate nurses. The participants were recruited using a purposive technique, and each underwent a comprehensive interview, …

Exploring The School Nurse's Knowledge, Experiences, And Role In Trauma-Informed Care: Implications For School Nurse Practice, Lesha H. Rouse

Dissertations

School nurses as the only health care professional in schools with the potential to be in daily contact with students are in a critical position to create awareness, influence action, and provide leadership in trauma-informed care (TIC). However, there is a lack of research regarding school nurse TIC knowledge, experiences, and role in school health practice. Research has asserted the pervasiveness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in society as well as, it's potential to cause deleterious life-long health, educational, social, and economic outcomes (Bethell et al., 2017; Felitti et al., 1998; Stevens, 2019). Exploring the school nurse's role in TIC …

Hospice Interdisciplinary Team Processes And Effectiveness, Beth A. Hale

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to test a causal model of interdisciplinary hospice processes and effectiveness. This research examined the impact of organization and team level structure constructs (organizational culture, team complexity, and team leadership) on hospice interdisciplinary team processes and subsequent influence on perceived team effectiveness. The relationships among perceived team effectiveness, team task satisfaction, and family satisfaction with hospice care were also examined.

The Relationship Between Registered Nurses' Turnover Cognitions, Job Satisfaction, Job Search Behaviors, Selected Nurse Characteristics And Work Engagement, Michelle R. Simpson

Dissertations

Although a significant amount of research has provided insight into predicting future turnover, it has not aided in understanding the impact of alternative outcomes to turnover, such as alternative withdrawal or intentions to reduce job inputs, have on nurses' work attitude as they function within their day-to-day work role. The on-going pressures to improve healthcare quality and decrease costs supports the need to study the alternative withdrawal process—so as to move beyond merely retaining registered nurses to retaining fully engaged registered nurses. Therefore, the primary intent of this study was to consider an alternative outcome to turnover occurring within the …

The Experience Of Accelerated Nursing Program Graduates Utilizing Ethics In Their Nursing Practice, Mary Ann Siciliano Mclaughlin

Dissertations

This study, based on hermeneutic phenomenology, asked: What is the experience of accelerated nursing program graduates utilizing ethics in their nursing practice? Using van Manen's phenomenological method, 10 accelerated nursing program graduates were interviewed to illuminate their lived experience of utilizing ethics in their nursing practice. Through the process of reading and rereading transcripts five essential themes emerged: the nurse serving as a patient advocate, the nurse promoting a dignified death for a patient, the nurse fostering the humane side to patient care, the nurse encouraging virtuous integrity, and the nurse actualizing authentic leadership.

The Relationships Between Parenting Stress, Growth, And Development In Infants With Congenital Heart Defects During The First Six Months Of Life, Danica F. Sumpter

Dissertations

The stress experienced by parents at the time of diagnosis and hospitalization for their infant's congenital heart defect (CHD) is well recognized by healthcare professionals. Increased parenting stress has been negatively correlated with development in low birthweight infants. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the parenting stress as experienced by parents of infants with CHD during their first six months of life. In addition, the relationship between parenting stress and the growth and development of infants with CHD was explored. Due to the transactional nature of mother-infant interaction, both directions of this relationship were examined, the factors …

The Transformative Mindset Of Middle School Principals On Culture And The Impact Of Student Achievement, Christina Gfell

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how exemplary middle school principals perceived practices of Sinek’s (2019) infinite mindset framework were embedded in their organization to inspire achievement of extraordinary results. A further purpose of this study was to understand organizational supports and barriers exemplary middle school principals perceived affected infinite mindset development.

Methodology: This phenomenological study explored experiences of exemplary leaders and their perceptions of how the five practices of Sinek’s (2019) infinite mindset framework were embedded in their organization. The target population for this study was exemplary middle school principals in Harris County, Texas. …

Cumulative Advantage And Student Performance In General Chemistry: An Empirical Study At A Midwest Tier 1 University (2016-2019), Nicole Barvian

Dissertations

General chemistry (GC) plays a crucial role in the academic and career outcomes of students interested in postsecondary science, engineering and medicine. As a whole, chemistry education research literature has reported student attrition rates averaging from 25% to 35% for nearly a century. Student attrition rates can be attributed to a number of factors, including high school preparation (e.g. Tai et al. 2006), opportunity to learn (Carroll, 1989) and accumulated time and practice in a domain (e.g. Ericsson et al. 1993). The factors, in turn, are affected by mechanisms of social stratification, in particular, the social mechanism of cumulative advantage …

Sensing The Rhizosphere: Microbial Transcriptome Responses To Root Exudates And Redox-Active Metabolites, Ankita Bhattacharyya

Dissertations

The term “rhizosphere” describes the dynamic interface between plant roots and soil influenced by root exudates. It is a hotspot of microbial activity, plant-microbe, and microbe-microbe interactions. Distinct variations in bacterial diversity are thought to be driven by plant root exudates. However, the molecular details of these processes still remain unclear.

I addressed this gap by focusing on two strains, Pseudomonas synxantha 2-79 and Burkholderia lata 383, representing diverse groups of Gammaproteobacteria comprised of species with environmental, agricultural, and medical significance. In the first part of this project, we used a combination of metabolomics and RNA-seq to characterize transcriptome responses …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Fdi Inflows And Entrepreneurial Activity At The Country Level, Jeff Cohu

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the relationship between FDI inflows and entrepreneurial activity at the country level in a 3-essay format. Building on the competing theories of knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship (KTSE) and the occupational choice model (OCM), this research seeks to determine if FDI inflows and entrepreneurship are complimentary or competing phenomenon.

Essay 1 analyzes the existing comparative entrepreneurship measures available through a correlation matrix using panel study data from 172 countries and territories from 2006 to 2019. This essay finds that the available measures of comparative entrepreneurship are not as highly correlated as anticipated and that there are …

Human Capital Flight: Determinants Of Out-Migration Decisions Among Mississippi’S College Graduates, Felicia M. Bowens

Dissertations

In today's knowledge economy, the retention of skilled and college-educated workers is vital to the economic stability and long-term competitiveness of any region (Bernhard, 2007; Ehrke, 2014; He et al., 2016; Khaomin et al., 2022; Miller & Collins, 2022; Moretti, 2012; White et al., 2022; Winters, 2011). As the global economy evolves, Mississippi must continue accumulating and cultivating a workforce ready to meet the demands of today's labor markets. However, with the out-migration of Mississippi's college graduates post-graduation, the state continues to lose a valuable resource, its human capital (Miller & Collins, 2023; Miller & Collins, 2022; Mississippi Economic Council, …

Peruvian Musical Elements In Selected Peruvian Piano Compositions By Duncker Lavalle, Ayarza De Morales, And E. Valcárcel Arze, Gonzalo Aguilar

Dissertations

This research paper focuses on Peruvian musical elements used by three Peruvian composers active in the twentieth century: Luis Duncker Lavalle (1874-1922), Rosa Mercedes Ayarza de Morales (1881-1969), and Edgar Valcárcel Arze (1932-2010). The analysis is centered upon three solo piano works: Duncker’s Leggenda Appassionata (published 1964), Ayarza’s Marinera y Resbalosa (n.d.), and Valcárcel’s Cuatro Piezas Infantiles (1963). These composers represent a cross section, not only chronologically, but also geographically. Relevant Peruvian traditional music (such as mestizo music; Arequipan yaraví; música criolla: marinera, zamacueca; cueca chilena; as well as music of Cuzco and Puno—including from …