Digital Commons Network^™

Beyond The Benefit: A Multi-Modal Narrative Study Of Black Women's Experiences With Employer-Sponsored Tuition Assistance, Britany Patricia Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the lived experiences of Black women engaging with employer-sponsored tuition assistance programs, focusing on how social, structural, and identity-based factors shape their educational and professional trajectories. While these benefits are often framed as neutral tools for career advancement, this study examines them through the intersecting lenses of race, gender, and labor, revealing deeper dynamics of access, value, and belonging. Guided by a qualitative narrative inquiry approach, this study employed a multi-modal data collection design involving video diaries, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. Three participants, all Black women between the ages of 30 and 40, shared their …

Using The R = Mc2 Heuristic To Assess Whole-Of-School Physical Activity Implementation In Elementary Schools: A Cross-Sectional Study, Derek W Craig, Kevin Lanza, Christopher D Pfledderer, Andjelka Pavlovic, Kempson Onadeko, Natalia I Heredia, Jizyah Injil, Laura F Defina, Timothy J Walker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Schools are recommended to use a whole-of-school (WOS) approach to promote physical activity opportunities before, during, and after school. Yet, the barriers and facilitators to implementing a WOS approach successfully are not well understood. The R = MC2 heuristic, which defines readiness for implementation as a combination of an organization's motivation and capacity to implement, can enhance our understanding of implementation in the school setting. This study examines associations between constructs from the R = MC2 heuristic and schools' implementation of a WOS approach.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from U.S. elementary schools participating in …

Examining Whiteness: A Narrative Inquiry Into Racial Identity Among White Women In Study Abroad Programs, Audrey Moreno Townsend

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to better understand race in contexts both domestically and abroad through the perspectives and experiences of white women who studied abroad outside of Europe and the Anglosphere. The investigation explored on how these experiences shaped white women’s understanding of racial identity upon returning to their home institutions. The research question which was addressed was: How do white women experience study abroad programming? Research highlights a critical gap in existing literature on this topic. While white women are centered in the study, it is contextualized considering how People of Color experience the world. …

Temporary Intravascular Shunting Using A Carotid Shunt For Traumatic Femoral Artery And Vein Injury In A Hemodynamically Unstable Patient, Nicola Habash, Fari Fall, Jin Park, Babak Abai, Michael Nooromid

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Vascular trauma involving the peripheral arteries of the extremities can lead to limb loss and, in severe cases, death. The use of intravascular shunts can help to temporarily perfuse the limb, while allowing for resuscitation of a critically injured patient. Here we present a case of a concomitant complex injury of the common femoral artery and common femoral vein, and the complementary vascular strategies used to achieve limb salvage.

Code Before Clause: Building Canada’S Digital Defences Before Negotiating Trade, Barry Appleton

Articles & Chapters

Canada is about to give away the keys to its digital future — before it even decides what future it wants.

This paper argues that any exploratory discussions between Canada and the European Union on a digital trade agreement must be paused until Canada legislates a domestic digital sovereignty framework and builds the governance capacity to implement it.

Essays On Economic Behaviour, Yiting Guo

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

My PhD thesis comprises three studies. The first study examines prosocial behavior; the second analyzes vaccination behavior; and the third investigates communicative behavior in the context of trade. Specifically, the first study investigates the impact of donation visibility on individual prosocial behavior. It develops a sequential-move model based on the prosocial behavior framework proposed by Benabou and Tirole (2006). In Stage 1, individuals decide whether to attend a charity event, and if so, in Stage 2, decide on the amount to donate. In this model, an individual’s decision to engage in prosocial behavior is influenced by three main factors: intrinsic …

The Journey Of Psychotherapy: Understanding Therapeutic Technique Through Ultralight Thru Hiking, Emma Bossier

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This paper explores several principles of ultralight backpacking as metaphors for developing one’s therapeutic technique. The tenets of ultralight thru hiking, when interpreted through a clinical lens, offer early clinicians insight into the importance of moving through fear and leaning into exploration, discomfort, and authenticity while on the journey of becoming a therapist. The experiences of numerous thru hikers are synthesized into five principles: Don’t Pack Your Fears, Be Present for the Journey, Slow Simplicity, Embrace the Suck (and The Stink), and Trail Legs. These principles do not define ultralight as carefreeness but rather offer a metaphor for the careful …

The Developmental Cohort Model Of Interpersonal Process Groups: A Clinician's Guide For University Counseling Centers, Lauren Caldas

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The purpose of this paper is to outline a clinician's manual that guides providers in the development, facilitation, and maintenance of long-term interpersonal process groups (IPGs) within university counseling centers (UCCs). This manual also presents a new model: The Developmental Cohort Model (DCM), which utilizes a stepped model throughout a traditional student's college timeline. I will present this manual in the context of the Developmental Cohort Model (DCM), but it can certainly remain useful for any type of IPG. Research suggests that group therapy is an effective way to increase access to mental health care (Burlingame & Strauss, 2021) and …

Proposed Theoretical Model Of Pediatric Onset Multiple Sclerosis And Restrictive Eating Behaviors, Anna L. Smith

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a chronic, demyelinating, autoimmune disease that causes an array of physical and cognitive symptomatology, is commonly diagnosed in adulthood. Pediatric Onset Multiple Sclerosis (POMS) is characterized by diagnosis of the disease before age 18 and accounts for about 5% of MS cases. While there is a growing body of literature examining the impact of adult-onset multiple sclerosis on psychosocial functioning, research specifically addressing POMS remains limited. Moreover, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding the risk of eating disorders among individuals with POMS. This paper will explore a constellation of potential risk factors that may …

The Shift: Embracing Loving Kindness And Nurse Well-Being As A Standard Of Care, Margaret Mcgrath Brown, Jennifer Rodriguez

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

In response to mounting evidence of clinician burnout, the US Surgeon General declared a call to action, “we need to build a culture that supports well-being. It’s time to break the traditional silence surrounding the suffering of health workers”[1]. Our clinicians’ suffering in survival mode was confirmed by the findings from participation in a 2021 multi-site study among 60 Magnet hospitals evaluating clinician wellbeing[2].

Our organization embarked on a top-down/bottom-up approach rooted in loving kindness and personal and professional development. Over time, a shift has occurred, and an intentional transformation began towards viewing nurse well-being as a standard of care. …

Building A High-Performing Critical Care Outreach Team: Transforming Care And Collaboration, Heather Joy Cook, Brittany M. Wells

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The Critical Care Outreach Team (CCOT) at our large urban university medical center has become a cornerstone of patient safety and care, driving a significant cultural shift in rapid response and interdisciplinary collaboration from 2014 to 2024. Through the adoption of the six American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Healthy Work Environment standards, the CCOT has not only reduced cardiac arrests outside of critical care areas but also fostered a collaborative relationship based on trust, clinical excellence, and patient safety among ward staff that has transformed the culture of Rapid Response activations.

Clinical excellence has not been the only …

Introduction Of Code Lavender To Support The Well-Being Of Clinical Staff After Critical Events, Shannon Souther, Eunyoung Lee, Milena Staykova

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Debriefing after critical events can benefit individual healthcare workers and create a healthier work environment within the interdisciplinary team. The desire to participate in interdisciplinary debriefing (IDD) among healthcare workers has been expressed in previous studies. However, it may be difficult for workers to debrief without strong, hospital-wide support.

Purpose: A pilot study was conducted, intended to introduce and measure the feasibility of a new modality to deliver IDD, “Code Lavender.” The new process was aimed at addressing a known barrier to IDD by offering hospital support.

Methods/Implementation: IDD was implemented in 3 ICU settings over a 3-month period. Code …

Fostering Excellence Through Development Of A Code Stroke Response Nurse, Emma Bingham

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Situation: Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) is a Regional Stroke Centre, meaning that patients suspected of stroke bypass other centres to access TWH. This designation results in care for neurologically complex patients, requiring efficient stroke protocols and proficient, knowledgeable clinicians. Notification of a patient en-route to the Emergency Department with a suspected stroke sets off a cascade of events that require a streamlined, coordinated approach; a Code Stroke.

Background: There were many factors reinforcing the need to reevaluate TWH’s Code Stroke protocol, including the change to administration of tenecteplase for ischemic stroke, significant wait times and subsequent unsafe patient ratios in …

Growing Dreams: Enabling Rural High School Students' Healthcare Career Futures Via A Summer Camp, Minerva Gonzales, Adrian Billings, John Dijo, Katie Miller

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Rural health systems and hospitals are foundational to the health and economy of rural communities. Although rural healthcare organizations face multiple challenges, one of the most significant is recruitment and retention of the workforce. According to the American Hospital Association (2022), rural areas account for nearly 70% of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). In addition, recruitment to a rural community can be difficult and retainment is even more challenging (Cosgrave et al., 2019). With these challenges in mind, an interdisciplinary and multi-institutional team collaborated to initiate a rural healthcare summer camp for rural high school students from the region at …

Work Safety Climate, Heat-Related Illness, And Pesticide Risks Among Latino Farmworker Adolescents, Fiorella L.Carlos Chavez, Priscilla Carmiol-Rodriguez, Taylor J. Arnold, Evan P. Anderson, Alexandra Brewis, Amber Wutich, Keenan A. Pituch, Scott C. Carvajal, Thomas A. Arcury, David W. Coon

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Among Latino farmworker adolescents (FWA), previous studies found that almost 50% reported HRI and symptoms while working in the fields and that being an older adolescent (compared to a younger one) increased the probability of reporting work-related injuries and HRI. Furthermore, Latino FWA often lack work experience, which could lead to unsafe occupational behaviors. Work safety climate (WSC) is the degree to which a worker perceives management values production over safety. Evidence suggests that weak WSC could lead farmworkers to engage in fewer safety procedures, increasing their risk of occupational injuries. Nevertheless, WSC research on HRI and pesticide risk (PR) …

Emergency Nurses’ Barriers To Caring For Psychiatric Boarders: A Theory Of Planned Behavior Approach, Rachel Keslar, Cindy Bacon

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

In 2021 around 2.5 million patients sought psychiatric care through the emergency department.¹ However, emergency department based psychiatric care has challenges including overcrowded hectic environments ^2–5 and prevalent patient violence.^2,4,5 This includes the practice of boarding where medically cleared patients cannot be dispositioned due to inadequate non-emergency department services6 and wait in the emergency department for hours, days, or longer.⁷ This leads to negative patient effects including increased vulnerability,³ distress,⁵ and violence.⁸ The purpose of this presentation is to show how the Theory of Planned Behavior was used to identify practice barriers in caring …

Exploring Secondary Traumatic Stress: The Frontline Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses' Perspective, Stacy Horowitz

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: Research demonstrates that Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses (PMHNs) are affected by Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). As many as 44% of PMHNs experience clinical levels of psychological distress and STS as compared to RNs in other specialties, including those in forensic nursing. Interventions that promote RN resilience are mentioned less frequently in this research.

Objectives: To explore frontline PMHNs’ perspective on STS and remaining safe and engaged at work on the inpatient behavioral health unit.

To solicit PMHNs’ input on helpful interventions to foster the development of "Universal Precautions" against STS.


Method: Eleven PMHNs participated in one of three focus …

Enhancing Resilience In Nursing Education Through The Lens Of Gratitude, Sarah B. Hathcock, Deanna B. Hiott, Carol K. Archuleta

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Resilience has consistently been identified as a hallmark characteristic among individuals who invest themselves in the workplace, while also finding meaningfulness and happiness in their work (Keener et al., 2021). Moreover, resilience is a protective health factor essential to an individual’s ability to negate the harmful effects of stress; it is a construct linked to improved mental and physical health (Asensio-Martínez et al., 2019). Nursing faculty, like all nurses, have the personal responsibility to ensure they are employing practices to foster and maintain their personal well-being, while also contributing to a healthy work environment. The Three Good Things gratitude practice …

Using Faculty And Staff Voice To Drive Workplace Well-Being Strategy, Angela G. Opsahl, Jennifer Louise Embree, Whitney Osborn

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The purpose of this presentation is to describe a faculty and staff wellbeing strategy in an academic setting.

Workplaces supporting wellbeing have employees three to nine times more likely to have good mental and physical health, little stress, no burnout, and high-quality work life, compared to workplaces providing little or no wellbeing support.

Academic leaders saw an opportunity to make a difference in faculty and staff wellbeing. Faculty and staff perspectives were identified through the MiniZ Survey General, and open-ended questions, and leaders developed wellbeing sessions and programs. The first session was a wellbeing workshop hosted just prior to an …

Making Fractals: Expanding Learning Opportunities In The Classroom, Eliza Leszczynski, Eileen Fernández, Elise Lahiere

LASER Journal

Fractals have long been appreciated for their beautiful, self-similar structure and infinite complexity. Commonly found in art and architecture, fractals are not only visually appealing but they have been found to reduce stress in individuals because of their patterns’ connections to nature. Fractal structures can even be seen in familiar real-life objects like trees or cauliflowers. Fractal geometry, with its ability to create complicated effects from simple formulas, provides a way to connect mathematics with visual results that are “spontaneously attractive, and often breathtakingly beautiful". The act of creating fractals can spark curiosity, enabling participants to generate vastly different results …

A Technical And Statistical Analysis Of Unleaded Aviation Fuel (Ul94) Adoption In A High- Volume Collegiate Aviation Environment, Nicholas D. Wilson, Ryan Guthridge, Brandon Wild, Jeremy Roesler, Daniel Kasowski, Nick Geinert, Aaron Terbest, Aaron Fettig, Robert Kraus

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The University of North Dakota (UND) adopted unleaded aviation fuel (UL94) for approximately a four-month period in the summer and early fall of 2023. The UL94 fuel was used in all reciprocating engine fleets based at the university’s primary training airport, Grand Forks International Airport in North Dakota. During the operational implementation of UL94, the UND flew 46,600 flight hours, consuming 386,778 gallons of fuel across all fleets powered by Lycoming engines. After approximately two months of using UL94, operational reports and maintenance inspections began to indicate potential for exhaust valve seat recession (EVSR), although early indications were limited in …

Contributing Factors To Low Airspeed On Climb-Out As A Precursor To Loss Of Control In Flight, Owen D. Poborsky

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The nature of aviation is not without inherent risk. Conducting training flight operations increases these inherent risks. Flight data monitoring and voluntary safety action programs seek to reduce risk, as seen in their success at commercial airlines. These successes are slowly permeating into general aviation through programs such as the National General Aviation Flight Information Database (NGAFID). The NGAFID is a program funded by the Federal Aviation Administration that allows general aviation operators to have the ability to collect and share de-identified flight data on an aggregate level to identify trends and increase safety margins during flight operations. This study …

Do You Have T.I.M.E.?: A Resiliency Tool, Jessica Sutterfield

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Aims. The study was designed to examine the problem solving tool as an effective method to increase resilience and emotional intelligence for nurses in a hospital setting.

Background. Burnout has become a concern across the United States for the current nursing workforce and is expected to continue to impact the nursing shortage [1]. Resiliency has long been an issue in a demanding and stressful environment at the bedside as well as the hospital setting in general [2]. While research indicates resiliency training and education are effective in increasing resilience, gaps occur in preparing resilient nurses with a proactive approach and …

Self-Leadership Boosts Collaboration And Patient Outcomes, Carine Prinsloo

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Self-leadership is a pivotal concept that enhances the capacity of healthcare professionals to engage in and promote interprofessional collaboration. Self-leadership involves the ability to self-motivate and manage one's actions through behaviour-focused strategies, constructive thought patterns, and natural reward strategies (Neck, et al 2020). Nurses fostering self-leadership, develop a heightened self-awareness that enables them to recognize when to seek support and collaborate with other healthcare professionals effectively. Nurses who exhibit strong self-leadership skills are more likely to engage in proactive communication and collaboration with their colleagues, utilizing interprofessional resources to improve patient outcomes (Matahela & van Rensburg 2023). This collaboration is …

Peer Champions For Team Well-Being, Richard J. Westphal

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Co-worker peer support is a critical component of unit cohesion and social support in high stress exposure teams and can mitigate stress-related symptoms.1 A primary advantage of co-worker peer support is that it is available when needed and provided by those who “get” the context of the stress experience. The effectiveness of peer support programs has begun to take hold, helping institutions address issues of shame and isolation among their healthcare workers.2 Following the COVID pandemic, we see even more calls for health systems, state boards, licensing bodies, and professional organizations to step up and prioritize clinician well-being.3

There are …

Do Well-Being Programs Improve Work Environments? Evaluating State-Level Nurse Peer Support Programs, Pamela B. De Cordova, Irina Grafova, Jennifer Polakowski

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Introduction: Well-being programs geared to improve the work environment should be tailored to the individual and organization (Browne & Tie, 2024). The New Jersey Nursing Emotional Well-Being Institute (NJ-NEW) launched Stress First Aid (SFA) and Virtual Schwartz Rounds (VSR) – peer support programs to address nurse well-being. SFA is a framework of actions to decrease stressors that exist within an individual’s or organizations’ level of control and facilitate recovery (Dong et al., 2022; McLean et al., 2023; Westphal & Watson, 2021). VSR is an online emotional support program led by 2 mental health facilitators and 2 nurse panelists who share …

Guiding Inclusive Learning: Using Ideas To Transform Workplace Diversity And Well-Being, Vanessa Kay Cameron, Jillian Russell, Jennifer Bodine, Rachel Kelter

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Bias, prejudice, or discrimination can be found in all areas of life through action and inaction, creating a call to action for systemic change in nursing (Wakefield et al., 2021). Given the need for a reflective nursing workforce to reduce health disparities (Stanford, 2020) and the predicted nursing shortage, identifying strategies to recruit and retain a diverse nursing workforce in healthy work environments (HWE) is key (Rosseter, 2023). This work aims to provide strategies for educators to develop inclusive learning environments to promote workplace diversity and wellbeing.

Intentional application of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) principles can foster belonging …

Unity And Kindness Day: A Transformative Event To Promote Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion, Adisa Cartwright, Michelle Santizo, Dahlia Maldonado, Kelli Obazee

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Introduction: Following social unrest in 2020, nurses at a large health system advocated for structures that celebrate diversity, promote equity, and enhance inclusion. This led to the creation of the Unity in Diversity Nursing Professional Governance Council (UID). After a systemwide assessment of nurse wellbeing, a need to improve the practice environment was identified. This led UID to create the Unity in Kindness Day (UKD) event. Since 2022, UID has hosted UKD; a multi-campus and online event aimed at fostering a healthier work environment through promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). UKD, hosted by nurses, invites all staff members to …

Night Educators Light The Way: Building Confidence, Resiliency & Competence In Novice Nurses, Christine Dunning, Michael Pancoast

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The Nursing Professional Development team at Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a 245 bed community hospital within the larger New York-based Northwell system, heavily invests in recruitment, orientation and training of new graduate nurses. NWH offers a robust onboarding program based through American Nurses Credentialing Center Practice Transition Accreditation Program for medical surgical, intensive care, emergency, and maternal child health units. This heavily structured program draw dozens of novice nurses each year, mostly working on the night shift.

Historically, fewer resources are available off-shift for nurses, particularly access to senior staff and the expertise they provide. Often, this leaves the newest, …

Manifestations Of Nursing Burnout From A Nurse Educator Perspective, Sandra A. Nease, Amanda D'Ann Guerrero

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The role of the Nurse Educator is pivotal in preparing nursing students as they transition into the nursing profession. As the facilitator of nursing education, they share the knowledge and skills necessary for students to deliver high-quality patient care. The nurse educator’s role requires guiding students through strenuous academic coursework, as well as the development of clinical competence. To foster students achieving constant learning, nurse educators dedicate extended time and effort (Hosseini et al., 2022). Nurse educators are often selfless in the pursuit of providing support for their students. Intense emotional interactions with students present a risk for burnout (Maslach …