Digital Commons Network^™

2021 Fall - Commencement Program, Office Of The Registrar, East Tennessee State University

ETSU Commencement Ceremonies and Programs

No abstract provided.

A Case Of Shifting Focus Friction: Extension Directors And State 4-H Program Leaders’ Perspectives On 4-H Lgbtq+ Inclusion, Jeremy Elliott-Engel, Donna Westfall-Rudd, Eric Kaufman, Megan Seibel, Rama Radhakrishna

Journal of Extension

Contemporary Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ+) youth are identifying and communicating their identities earlier in childhood than generations before as a result of more awareness and more acceptance of gender identity and sexual minorities by society. A qualitative study of U.S. 4-H program leaders and Extension directors generated an emergent theme around the importance of serving LGBT youth and the resulting implementation challenges. The administrators of 4-H, the largest youth serving organization in the country, recognize the presence of LGBTQ+ youth in 4-H and believe the organization must be inclusive. But challenges remain in ensuring youth experience inclusion at …

Walking Into A News Desert: How Arkansas College Newspapers Are Coping With The Decline In Print Journalism, David Keith

Dissertations

News deserts is a reference to geographic areas — most commonly counties — where no newspaper is published. The number of these areas continues to grow as more newspapers shut their doors because of financial difficulties brought on by a lack of advertising, a lack of readers, and the shift to online news consumption. College students studying journalism find themselves on the cusp of entering a profession where the number of workplaces and jobs is shrinking. They know it and the advisers of their college newspapers know it. Even with this arid prospect before them, the students are reporting news …

Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda December 9, 2021, University Of Rhode Island Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Agendas

No abstract provided.

Organizational Context, Shared Governance Structure, And Outcomes In Veterans Affairs Hospitals, Bonnie J. Charland

Dissertations

For decades nurse executives have implemented shared governance structures as a nursing management innovation to transform the nursing organization from a bureaucratic hierarchy to a more organic, relational partnership. However, there is little generalizable evaluation of the effects of shared governance on nurse and patient outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine organizational context and quality outcomes in relation to shared governance structures at VA hospitals. Structural contingency theory guided this ex post facto descriptive correlational study of the relationships between organizational context, nursing shared governance, and outcomes in VA hospitals in the United States.

Staff Perceptions On Organizational Change And Its Impact On Occupational Participation In Institutional Settings, Shelby Pearce, Susan Macdermott, Karen Park

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: Organizational change, primarily in institutional settings, is necessary to prevent institutionalization as well as to reach the goals of the organizations. To support these goals, institutional settings, such as correctional facilities, often use restrictive measures including occupational deprivation. As a profession, occupational therapy recognizes the importance of occupational participation for all persons in society, however there is a gap in knowledge on the importance of how to promote and/or educate other entities on successful change management in different institutional settings.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how organizational culture impacts occupational participation in institutional settings and …

Exploratory Study Of Nursing Leadership: An Inquiry Of Leadership Attributes Of Nurse Managers In Acute Care Hospitals And The Professional Practice Environment, Janet Henriksen

Dissertations

This study explored the perceived leadership attributes of nurse managers who enable the creation of positive professional practice environments for registered nurses in acute care hospitals. A general qualitative approach was used to explore the perceptions of ten acute care registered nurses using a three-interview method of inquiry. Three major categories emerged from the data analysis: nurse manager attributes, positive professional practice environment characteristics, and nurse retention, recruitment and job satisfaction. Eight themes emerged in the nurse manager attributes category: expert, mentor, participant, communicator/listener, problem-solver/critical thinker, supporter, arbitrator, and advocate. Seven themes emerged in the characteristics of a positive professional …

The Role Of African Proverbs In Advancing Information Systems Research, Tiko Iyamu

The African Journal of Information Systems

Despite the richness of African proverbs, they have been muted in information systems (IS) research. This explicitly contributes to the lag in developing information systems and technology solutions for African people by African researchers in African terms. It is on this basis that two related objectives were formulated: (1) to examine the role which African proverbs can play in further advancing IS research, and (2) to understand how the concept can be employed to indigenize IS research. Qualitative data were collected from different sources, and the dimension of social change from structuration theory was employed to examine the role African …

Barriers And Facilitators Of Nonprofit Community Involvement, Claire Galvin

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Community-facing organizations have recently been critiqued for catering to donors instead of prioritizing community involvement. This lack of community engagement can lead to organizations not being as effective at the work they aim to do within these communities. Studies also show that organizations that have a more equal distribution of power engage more with their communities. This research project investigated how power distribution in Richmond- area nonprofits impacted the way that their communities were involved within their organizations. Findings from this study suggest that nonprofit fundraisers are more invested in creating community representation within their organization rather than cultivating a …

Lung Cancer Screening: An Evidence-Based Practice Change Project, Robert Bland

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Lung cancer is the leading cause of global cancer deaths and is a significant health issue in the US, claiming more than 155,000 lives each year. Lung cancer screening through low dose computed tomography (LDCT) can reduce lung cancer mortality by 20 percent but unfortunately, lung cancer screening is underutilized.

PICOT Question: The PICOT question that guided this project was: in a patient population eligible for LDCT lung screening (P), how does auditing of practice with feedback to the providers (I), compared to not doing the interventions as mentioned above (C), increase LDCT lung cancer screenings in the …

Improving Academic Success: Creating A College Planning Resource For Students, Hannah Grunden

Honors Projects

Academic performance of students is a major concern for colleges, especially with the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Research has shown that active involvement, the development of self-regulation skills, and improved mental health all have a considerable impact on college students’ academic success. Colleges like Bowling Green State University need to consider how they can use these factors and leverage resources to improve student performance. In this project, a solution is proposed in the form of a college/personal planner which is directly based off research on early academic success. While further, more specific research is needed to fully understand the issue and …

Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Bundle Care, Jeemole Kattezham Binnichan

MSN Capstone Projects

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most significant nosocomial infections in intensive care units (ICU) worldwide. Patients who have this infection due to lengthy hospital stays face excessive hospital expenditures and are forced to spend more time away from their families than is necessary. VAP is a prominent cause of morbidity and mortality in ICUs, prompting plenty of studies. The most crucial target is its prevention. Understanding how to reduce VAP would help patients live longer, have a better quality of life, and reduce hospital liability. Ventilator-associated pneumonia bundle (VAPB) has been shown in numerous studies to be an …

Implementing A Shared Governance Program, Mayra Elizondo

MSN Capstone Projects

Aim: To see the relationship between nursing satisfaction and patient safety outcomes through the implementation of a shared governance program.

Background: The adoption of shared governance in hospitals across the country would enable more nurses to have more resources, more autonomy in their practice, and thus higher satisfaction in their work environments which would improve patient outcomes.

Implications for future research, clinical practice and policy development: The following paper summarizes that shared governance programs increase the amount of satisfied nurses and improve patient outcomes. Further research is needed to develop effective guides for implementation of shared governance in healthcare facilities …

Bridging Mental Healthcare, Kristin L. White

MSN Capstone Projects

Nurses have an important role in the care given to mental health patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Without expectations or encouragement toward growth or continued education, the quality of care and the therapeutic ability for care are crippled, as evidenced by nurses' knowledge/competency deficits and negative attitudes. Through ongoing/continued education, the cultivation of a therapeutic culture toward patients that present to the ED for mental health complaints could result. Additionally, these improvements in care, in turn, could promote not only the closure of gaps that exist for quality mental healthcare but may also lead to an increase in …

Impact Of Nurse Residencies On A Graduate Nurse’S First Year, Melinda R. Fox

MSN Capstone Projects

The purpose of this presentation is to highlight the importance of the graduate nurses first year in their clinical role and highlight the positive impact of nurse residency programs. The target audience for this presentation includes, but is not limited to, the University of Texas at Tyler students and professors enrolled in NURS 5382: Capstone. The observers of this presentation will be able to describe the rationale behind the importance of Nurse Residency Programs, discuss the current literature recommendations, and understand the overview of the change process proposed.

Building Capacity To Alleviate Poverty Through National Service: An Evaluation Plan Guided By Community Partner Perspectives, Laura E. Martin

eJournal of Public Affairs

This paper explores how a national service program, the Mid-South VISTA Project (MSVP), impacts community partner organizations through capacity building activities. MSVP is housed at Mid-South University and extends the community-engaged activities of campus units and while building capacity at partner organizations. The project considers dimensions of nonprofit capacity building, navigating the community-campus partnership process, and the legacy of the VISTA program. The data presented here are part of a larger case study of how programs housed at MSU’s community engagement center impact community partner organizations. Findings from interviews with fifteen VISTA supervisors guide the development of an evaluation plan …

Reducing Surgical Site Infections Through Combination Skin Preparation: A Benchmark Study, Jennifer Schacherer

MSN Capstone Projects

Reducing surgical site infections allows for a tremendous reduction in healthcare costs, reduces length of hospital stay, decreases hospital readmissions, and promotes patient safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that surgical site infections have a 3% mortality rate and 75% of all surgical site infection-related deaths are directly attributable to the surgical site infection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). With millions of surgeries being performed every year, the reduction of surgical site infections enhances patient safety and ensures the protection of the public. Currently, no standard protocol exists for skin preparation beyond the parameters …

Transforming Problematic Into Positive: Practice-Based Recommendations For Resolving Paradigmatic And Methodological Conflicts In Appreciative Inquiry, Bryan D. Jennewein Phd

The Qualitative Report

Researchers have employed Appreciative Inquiry (AI) in a variety of methodological contexts, in a variety of settings, and toward a variety of outcomes. For practitioners seeking to both identity and amplify the best of what is, AI has been a sort of multi-functional toolset, improving outcomes both small and grand. Amidst this successful history of the application of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), little attention has been given to some of the limitations or even risks of applying its practices to whatever extent and toward whichever outcomes. The models supplied by AI may prove problematic in several ways, among them: ontological realism, …

Transforming Prescription Opioid Practices In Primary Care With Change Theory, Rob E. Carpenter, Dave Silberman, Jody Takemoto

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

The opioid epidemic continues to be an ongoing public health crisis. Many primary health care providers aptly serve as the gate keeper to opioid prescriptions. The opioid epidemic has challenged the primary care profession whilst many of these providers have opted out of opioid prescribing altogether. This unintended consequence affirms erosion to primary care that is vital to the ecosystem of opioid management. The purpose of this study was to understand strategies to deliver opioids safely and effectively. Results indicate primary care providers are uniquely positioned to make a positive opioid impact through focused change initiatives. Five common themes arose …

Women In Direct Combat Arms: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study Of U.S. Army Active-Duty Military Intelligence And Cyber Command Women Perspectives And Current Career Opportunities And Policies In The Military Combat Fields, Brenda Young

Theses & Dissertations

Effective January 1, 2016, the Department of Defense implemented a new policy pertaining to a full work role gender integration for service women in all U.S. military fields and positions. Active-duty women struggled to participate, adapt, and be completely integrated into the full institutional direct combat arms positions and careers. Research on such gender participation to date has focused specifically on physical fitness standards, unit morale and cohesion, successful entry into training pipeline for direct combat arms fields, and outcomes measured by current attrition rates. A constructivist qualitative grounded theory research study was needed to understand how current active-duty women …

Researching Administrative Law, Keith Lacy

Law Librarian Scholarship

Administrative law is a broad subject area concerning the laws and procedures governing administrative agencies. It also encompasses the substantive law produced by those agencies — most commonly in the form of regulations (rules) or agency decisions. This article highlights a few major resources for researching administrative law in the United States.

The Stages Of Environmentalism And How The Movement Can Be Maintained Through Generation Z, Emma Jean Vanden Brink

Masters Theses

The state of a social movement is characterized by the stages through which it progresses. The environmentalism movement began hundreds of years ago when humans first noticed how significantly their actions influenced the nature around them. The movement advanced with the arrival of the industrial era and modern society. According to Stewart et al. (2012), there are five main stages through which a social movement proceeds: genesis, social unrest, enthusiastic mobilization, maintenance, and termination. Today, environmentalism is in the maintenance stage, as determined by the current organizational structure of the movement. The objective of this study was to determine how …

Bargaining For Integration, Shirley Lin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Structured To Fail: Lessons From The Trump Administration’S Faulty Pandemic Planning And Response, Alejandro E. Camacho, Robert L. Glicksman

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

The Trump Administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder that poorly designed government can be a matter of life and death. This article explains how the Administration’s careless and delayed response to the crisis was made immeasurably worse by its confused and confusing reallocation of authority to perform or supervise tasks essential to reducing the virus’s ravages.

After exploring the rationale for and impact of prior federal reorganizations responding to public health crises, the article shows how a combination of unnecessary and unhelpful overlapping authority and a thoughtless mix of centralized and decentralized authority contributed to the …

Organization Change And Institutional Environment : Employee Influence And Financial Management Of Public Retirement Systems In The U.S, Hao Sun

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Previous attempts to understand and examine the employee influence on the financial performance of public retirement systems have produced inconsistent results. There have been different understandings and ongoing debates over the main variables to include in the models and the direction (positive vs. negative) of the association. What are the roles of public employees within the financial management of public retirement systems? What are the main variables that define employee influence? To answer these questions, this dissertation project, based on organization theory, first attempts to construct an exploratory measurement framework of employee influence from three aspects, external environment, perceived influence, …

Quality Improvement Project: Communication Guidance During And Following Maternal Hemorrhage, Kathleen Giramur

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background. Maternal hemorrhage is a significant cause of worsening maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. If timely, effective, and compassionate communication is not provided during and following traumatic birth events, negative mental health problems may result that affect maternal well-being, bonding with the baby, and family relationships. A gap analysis carried out at the clinical site showed that a written, evidence-based guidance on communication with patients and families during and after a maternal hemorrhage event was needed. Compliance through documentation is required by the Joint Commission. Trauma-Informed Care is an evidence-based communication approach that incorporates principles of safety, …

Remixed, Remastered: Investigating Organizational Adaptation In Higher Music Education, Jacob Bruce Hertzog

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher music education presents a unique opportunity to examine change within higher education due to the digital revolution in the music industry over the past two decades. The purpose for conducting this study was to describe, map, and explain the strategies that higher music education programs are using to adapt to the digital revolution in the music industry. This study was grounded in organizational adaptation theory, drawing upon nine well-established theories: population ecology, life cycles, strategic choice, isomorphism, symbolic action, resource dependence, cybernetics, and network theory. Critical concepts of the turbulent environment, environmental perception, and organizational adaptation strategy emerged from …

Reimagining Global Partnerships In Higher Education Through Open Systems Theory

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Change Sustainment Model (Csm) To Address Industry 4.0 In A Classified Environment, Hamilton Ervin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Business and engineering have long intersected with each other in industry. In actuality, they are inseparable. That notion drove the thought process and actions taken to observe phenomena within a U.S. Fortune 500, Aerospace & Defense industry, Department of Defense, independent contractor. In Aerospace & Defense, the ability to implement technology freely and change to address an ever-evolving technological landscape in the world has proven to be difficult given the nature of the work performed. U.S. national security must be protected at all times, therefore information sharing guided by a "need-to-know" basis create an inability to easily implement organizational change …

Bargaining For Integration, Shirley Lin

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to restructure exclusionary environments upon the request of their employees with disabilities so that they may continue working. Under a virtually unexamined aspect of the mandate, however, the parties must negotiate in good faith over every accommodation request. This “interactive process,” while decentralized and potentially universal, occurs on a private, individualized basis.

Although the very existence of the mandate has been heavily debated, the scholarship has yet to acknowledge that the ADA is actually ambivalent to individuals’ relative power to effect organizational change through bargaining. This Article is the first to critique …