Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Influencing Successful Community Reentry For Formerly Incarcerated Men Who Have Received Supportive Services: A Qualitative Study, Ryan W. Fechner

Theses and Graduate Projects

The current study examined reentry experience among men following incarceration to determine salient protective and risk factors. The study reviews the impacts of incarceration, previous factors of recidivism identified in research, and qualitative research conducted on justice-involved individuals. Using a grounded theory qualitative approach, nine men recruited from a substance use treatment program who were released from prison within the past five years were interviewed to explore protective and risk factors. Findings from the current study were consistent with previous research in identifying barriers to reentry, such as difficulties finding housing, employment, and transportation. Additional findings indicate the importance of …

This Is A Call To Action For All Primary Care Providers: Do Better For Your Transgender Patients, Kate Castor

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Patients of all ages benefit from primary care. However, not everyone has equal access to primary care. Transgender patients often face a multitude of barriers to receiving basic healthcare.

Purpose: Improve health outcomes for transgender patients, enlighten providers on significant disparities, and offer solutions to these disparities faced by transgender community in the healthcare setting and when receiving cancer screening.

Methods: Literature review comprising results from Augsburg University Lindell Library databases, American Journal of Medicine, and Google Scholar.

Conclusions: Everyone can do better for their transgender patients, but primary care providers should take extra care cultivating relationships with these …

The Efficacy Of Cannabis As A Substitute Addiction For Opiates, Clark Furlong

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Approaches to opiate addiction focus on abstinence and/or a harm reduction model that often utilizes substitute medications. Methadone and suboxone are the most prescribed drugs for opiate maintenance therapy. The long-term side effect profile and health consequences are undesirable. Research is looking for healthier alternatives.

Purpose: Opiate maintenance therapy participants have a mortality rate greater than twelve times that of the normal population, we seek to discover if cannabis can be a useful/safer alternative.

Methods: Following a comprehensive literature review a 7-question online survey was designed with SurveyMonkey to gauge current Augsburg students’ perception of cannabis as an alternative …

Home-Based Primary Care In Patients With Dementia: Impact On Cost, Medication Use, And Patient Satisfaction, Megan O'Leary

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Individuals living with dementia deserve affordable, accessible, and effective healthcare. These patients often face barriers that make it difficult to consistently access traditional in office primary care. Home-based primary care (HBPC) holds the opportunity to bridge the gap between individuals with dementia and preventative healthcare resources.

Purpose: Dementia rates are increasing as the population ages, and additional research is needed to determine the optimal treatment model for individuals with dementia. This literature review evaluates if patients with dementia receive improved care with HBPC vs in office primary care through examining cost, medication use and compliance, and patient satisfaction.

Methods: …

Sisyphean Frustrations: The Impetus For Improving Harm Reduction Strategies In Minneapolis, Mn, Jordan Baker

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: The last decade has seen an alarming rise in deaths attributed to opioid use. Considering the ever-increasing mortality rate contributable to opiate use disorder, it is important to identify and utilize more efficacious public health interventions.

Purpose: The focus of this paper is identifying the current harm reduction strategies being implemented in Minneapolis MN, the history of harm reduction in the US, and opportunities to improve existing systems to better engage current conditions.

Methods: The primary research method for this community assessment was volunteer work with Southside Harm Reduction in Minneapolis, MN. Through community clean-ups the researcher was able …

A Unique Hiv Harm Reduction Perspective From Costa Rica: Hogar De La Esperanza An Ethnographic Case Study And Comparative Examination Of Approach To Hiv Treatment Between The United States And Costa Rica, Kim Marie Day

Theses and Graduate Projects

This case study presents a real, currently operational scenario of harm reduction in action in Costa Rica, focusing on its success and the challenges faced by healthcare professionals, the experiences of those who live at Hogar de la Esperanza, and the implications for healthcare policies and interventions in the United States. By examining this specific case of a Costa Rican community-based HIV treatment model, the aim of this ethnographic report is to shed light on the complexities and factors contributing to the success or failure of harm reduction treatment strategies within the United States and what can be learned by …

Effective Models In Community And Student Run Clinics, Jonathan Nyman

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Over 3.5 billion people—half of the world’s population, did not have access to any healthcare facilities or services in 2017.1 In order to provide more healthcare to more individuals, student run clinics (SRCs), community-based health systems, and other low-cost clinics have opened up all over the world.

Purpose: It is important, however, to understand how these clinics run, their effectiveness, and how they may increase healthcare access. This study analyzed articles involving free or low-cost clinics to determine which models are utilized within free or low-cost clinics to provide effective standard of care resulting in increased healthcare …

Impact Of Provider Cultural Competency On Latino/Hispanic Patients During End-Of-Life And Hospice Care, Nicholle Nacionales

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Cultural competency in healthcare means delivering high quality care to patients with diverse beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors. Latinos/Hispanics are one of the fastest growing ethnic group and with an aging population, there is an increased need for providers to deliver culturally sensitive end-of-life and hospice care. Latino/Hispanic patients face many disparities that affect their quality of care which cultural competency aims to address. Purpose: The purpose of this literature review is to identify factors that affect Latino/Hispanic patient’s end-of-life and hospice care and how cultural competency of providers can influence management of their pain and quality of …

Vicarious Traumatization In Therapists Who Treat Sexual Offenders And Have A Personal History Of Sexual Abuse, Darci J. Wikelius

Theses and Graduate Projects

There is limited research on vicarious trauma among therapists who treat sexual offenders and who have a personal history of sexual abuse (Cunningham, 2003). The purpose of this study is to identify how a personal history of sexual abuse, and specific characteristics of the sexual abuse therapists have experienced, may influence the experience of vicarious trauma among therapists who work with sex offenders. The study surveyed clinicians who work with sex offenders in order to examine the relationship between their experiences of sexual abuse and vicarious trauma. The survey included a demographic questionnaire, the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS), and …

The Adequacy Of Pa Didactic Psychiatric Education, Dean Berzins

Theses and Graduate Projects

With a shortage of mental health specialists, primary care providers, which increasingly include physician assistants (PAs), must be able to adequately recognize, diagnose, and treat common mental health disorders. Unfortunately, providers are not currently able to meet this challenge and frequently underdiagnose and undertreat psychiatric conditions. This paper examined the amount of didactic education in psychodiagnostics PA students receive compared to the amount of didactic psychodiagnostics training psychotherapists students receive in graduate school. Results indicated that while psychotherapists have, on average, more classroom time, the difference in seat time between PAs and psychotherapists is less than double, but the assigned …

Will Implementing Human Trafficking Education And Screening Tools Increase The Number Of Identified Trafficked Victims And Survivors In The Healthcare Setting?, Yadira Landeros De Santiago

Theses and Graduate Projects

Introduction: Eighty-eight percent of human trafficking survivors report seeking healthcare while trafficked, yet less than 10% of physicians have been trained to identify human trafficking victims. The United States Department of Health and Human Services acknowledge the serious problem of health professionals lacking the education to identify and treat human trafficking patients. Healthcare providers are missing opportunities to intervene partially because of the barrier to identify human trafficking patients.

Background: Currently, there is no required standard for curriculum on human trafficking. Analysis of pre- and post-survey responses demonstrated a significant increase of confidence in identifying and caring for trafficked patients. …

An Overview Of Individualized Management Of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms In Dementia, Megan B. Knoll

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: It is estimated that about 11% of adults 65 and older have dementia in the United States. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in the presentation of dementia. These symptoms often result in increased morbidity and mortality, negative patient outcomes, caregiver burden, institutionalized care, and diminished quality of life. The focus of this paper is to analyze the therapeutic effectiveness of nonpharmacologic interventions in the management of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia.

Methods: A literature review was conducted to critique current evidence on the use of nonpharmacologic interventions in managing neuropsychiatric symptoms in older adults with dementia. Searches were performed using PubMed, …

From Bunks And Bars To Sidewalks And Skies: Support For Reentry From Incarceration, Ashley Ann Steen

Theses and Graduate Projects

Currently, there are over 2.3 million inmates in the prison system throughout the United States (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2018). Over 10,000 ex-prisoners are released from America's state and federal prisons every week and studies show that approximately two-thirds will likely be rearrested within three years of release (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2018). This scholarly project will explore the literature on why inmates face such a high rate of recidivism. It will further explore the current programming that is provided to inmates prior to release back to the community and offer a questionnaire to utilize in all reentry programs to …

Creating Health Membership In A Health Commons, Melinda Dively-White

Theses and Graduate Projects

Persons living in the margins may be separated or isolated because of poverty, disability, gender, and ethnicity. Isolation, along with exposure to at-risk environments and barriers to accessing health care, contributes to adverse health outcomes. Nurses must be open to learning essential transcultural skills to work with persons living in the margins to provide culturally appropriate care that addresses health inequities. Students in a Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Augsburg University developed an innovative approach to care for people living in the margins. The Health Commons, a nursing-led drop-in center in Rochester, MN, and grounded in Newman's (1999) Health …

A Proposal To Implement Assertive Community Treatment Into A Primary Care Shelter Clinic, Julie Churcher-Fields

Theses and Graduate Projects

Individuals who are experiencing homelessness and severe mental illness have a difficult time accessing healthcare systems. Without mental health treatment and stable housing, individuals develop multiple needs that must be addressed during an individual visit. Without treatment for mental health symptoms, individuals may experience a negative impact on their quality of life and the ability to get basic needs met. Community organizations have an obligation to provide integrated care with a goal to improve overall health for this population. As nurse leaders there is an opportunity to be advocates and implement innovative ideas to improve care. In a large adult …

Maternal Health Interventions In Rural, Resource-Limited Countries, Katherine Tilton

Theses and Graduate Projects

Pregnant women are continuing to die at unacceptable rates around the globe. According to the World Health Organization, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death and disability among reproductive age women in developing countries. Maternal mortality is often a reflection of a combination of causes: medical conditions while giving birth (ie. hemorrhage, eclampsia, and sepsis); other pre-existing medical conditions (ie. malaria, diabetes, HIV/AIDS); and socio-economic factors (ie. access to contraception, religious beliefs, and political agendas) that when combined, largely compromise health care, most often in the poor, rural and marginalized communities. Nearly all maternal deaths (99%) …

Empowering Victims Of Sex Trafficking: Developing A Practice Of Self-Care, Samantha Foster

Theses and Graduate Projects

Sex trafficking (ST) is on the rise globally, nationally, and locally. This modern day form of slavery most often victimizes women and children, stripping them of their personal power. The traumatizing crime that is sex trafficking affects its victims physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and has many negative ramifications on communities. Minnesota is leading the Nation in addressing this human rights violation by implementing and enforcing the Safe Harbor Law. Guided by concepts of Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, trauma-informed care (TIC) practices, current literature support, and in cooperation with shelters like Brittany’s Place in Minnesota, nurses may utilize …

A Leadership Analysis Of The Un Security Council, Omar Moallim

Theses and Graduate Projects

The United Nations (LN) is an organization established to "maintain international peace and security...develop friendly relations among nations [and] to achieve international cooperation ("UnitedNation",20l6). The Security Council is the UN's primary leadership body. It is led by five powerful countries - United States of America (USA), Russia, Great Britain, France and China -- that sit as "permanent members". The leadership of the Security Council is augmented by ten representatives from other countries who are elected by the General Assembly to serve two-year terms. The UN has guidelines for insuring and maintaining world peace. In spite of these positive intentions, international …

Leadership Development In A Midsize Nonprofit Midwestern 0rganization, Casey Fuerst

Theses and Graduate Projects

This action research project addresses the leadership development challenges of a midsize nonprofit in the Midwestern region of the United States. By looking at the first two phases of the program offered, the state of information on other similar organizations leadership development efforts, the state of information on mentoring options, and the application of Kouzes and Posners [2012J leadership theory of Exemplary Leadership, the project lays out the plan for the third phase of development.

Evaluation Of Lncluding Writing In An Introductory Statistics Course, Katherine G. Johnson

Theses and Graduate Projects

This research evaluates including write to learn activities in an introductory statistics course. A review of literature has shown writing is an effective tool for shrdent's learning; it also indicated which types of writing have been more effective for student learning, and the difficulties of successfully including writing in statistics curriculum. Based on these findings, writing activities were designed and incorporated into statistics courses taught at a university. A research study was carried out to determine if including rvrite to learn activities in statistics curriculum would be beneficial for nontraditional students, and to obtain feedback on students'perceptions of the write …

Beyond A Planner: Effective Study Skills Instruction For Student With Disabilities In Preparation For Success In Postsecondary Education And Training, Marlene R. Desmarais

Theses and Graduate Projects

Students with disabilities face many unique challenges in life but one of the most impactful and challenging moments they will face is the transition from high school to postsecondary education. This new phase in their lives is filled with dramatic changes and can prove to be especially troubling for students with disabilities. Yet, if these students receive the proper training prior to leaving high school, they may experience a smoother transition and ultimately achieve their goals and dreams. Through qualitative methods using narrative and descriptive approaches, this research investigated what study skills are the most important to teach to high …

Collaborative Leadership: Jane Addams And Her Circle Of Friends, Sheila V. Davies

Theses and Graduate Projects

Collaboration and collaborative leadership are terms used often in current leadership language. Whether in private or public enterprises, collaboration has become a "catch word" that elicits ideas of shared ownership and effective problem solving. Collaborative leadership could be a "stand alone" leadership style or it could incorporate other leadership styles to prove most effective. The manner in which it is used depends, in part, on who is using it and for what purpose. Jane Addams, a progressive leader in the early twentieth century, used collaborative leadership effectively in her social change efforts. Together with Julia Lathrop, Florence Kelley, Alice Hamilton …

Creation Of Care Coordination Team, Linda Peterson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Healthcare in the United States is fragmented and costly. Care coordination positively impacts healthcare cost and quality in healthcare systems. Case managers, social workers, and community health workers create health care teams in a health care home model. A team approach, formed by relationships built from collaboration, communication, and application of Complexity Theory, produces these outcomes. Relational coordination based on shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect creates the framework from which to establish a team. Watson's Caring Science theory provides the conceptual framework to support the connectedness that occurs within a team approach. Creating a collaborative team of case …

Utilizing Watson's Theory Of Caring To Develop A Palliative Care Proposal For Olmsted Medical Center, Tammie Johnson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Palliative care is aimed at alleviating the suffering of patients with serious or chronic illnesses. Literature examined to determine the needs of seriously or chronically ill patients and their farnilies found patients to have physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs while coping with their illness. In addition, patients' family needed support in physical care of their loved ones, as well as information and psychosocial needs for themselves. The purpose of this project is to develop a proposal for an inpatient palliative care program for Olmsted Medical Center's (OMC's) consideration, Watson's Theory of Caring was utilized in the development of a palliative …

Trauma Informed Nursing Care For Women Who Are Marginalized: An Educational Workshop, Jenna Fadlalla

Theses and Graduate Projects

Traumatic events profoundly affect both the physical and emotional health of a woman who endures the event. Gender, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic disparities in rates of trauma exist showing that women who are marginalized are at a higher risk for trauma. Nurses are privileged to provide care for these women in their greatest times of need, yet despite the intimate relationship between nurses and their patients, trauma is a topic that remains largely unaddressed by the field of nursing. Because trauma can have such a profound effect on health, it is essential for nurses of all specialties and at all …

Strategies To Enable Young Adults To Be Financially Literate, Stephanie Ruckel

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this research is to identify factors that parent(s) both intentionally and unintentionally impart on their children that enable young adults to be more financially literate. I administered a three question financial literacy test to 344 students at a private, not-for-profit liberal arts institution in a Midwestern city. Each result, a score of zero to three was compared to each student's socio-demographic characteristics, family characteristics, and parental education techniques to determine potential correlation and causation for financial literacy scores. I determined factors to be studied through relevant literature and personal experience.

Juvenile Probation Officers' Perspectives Of The Special Education Process, Lauren Trainer

Theses and Graduate Projects

This qualitative research study examined juvenile probation officers' perspectives of special education. Juvenile probation officers who work with youth who receive special education services agreed to participate in this study to help the researcher learn more about how they view special education. Since the two professional groups (juvenile probation officers and special education teachers) often work with the same demographic, learning more about their perspectives can help improve their working relationships. However, even more importantly, the services youth receive may also be improved through gaining a better understanding of others' perspectives. A combination of formal interview questions and observations were …

Social Skills Training In Elementary Schools, Nathan Greene

Theses and Graduate Projects

Social skills are a major component of social development in elementary aged students within today's educational world. Current research suggests that a certain number of students do not respond to traditional teaching approaches targeted at remediating social skill deficits. These deficits frequently result in behavior problems, difficulties in peer situations, and not living up to their academic potential. Additionally, professionals in the field have discovered that when a socially struggling student is paired with an appropriate intervention, these obstacles can be overcome. The material in this report supports, informs,, and shapes the content and teaching strategies used in the elementary …

Support Of The Informal Kinship Care Family, Emily J. Hansen

Theses and Graduate Projects

Most children cannot imagine living without their parents; for some though, because of social instability, substance abuse, or parental neglect, life apart from their parents is the reality. When these children are cared for by a relative or a close family friend without the involvement of a child welfare agency, the family that is created is known as an informal kinship care family. Because of the fluid nature of these families, little is known about them, leaving this group disadvantaged and neglected by the health care community. After a review of the existing literature, observation of informal kinship care families, …

Integrating Mindfulness Meditation Into Undergraduate Nursing Curricula, Michelle Yankowiak

Theses and Graduate Projects

Stress and anxiety impact the lives of undergraduate nursing students. Learning how to cope with the stressful demands of nursing school is essential for student success. Watson's caring and healing philosophy notes that learning to care for self is foundational in learning to care for others. Literature also reports that nursing programs across the country are lacking instruction on alternative therapies as a self-care method. A need to integrate self-care into curricula was identified by personal knowing as a nursing clinical instructor and through a self-care questionnaire to undergraduate obstetric nursing students. The integration of mindfulness meditation, as a means …