Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Climbing Collectively: Clinical Ladder Modernization Leveraging Shared Decision-Making, Shelby Do, Julie Holland, Dorothy Foglia

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The clinical ladder program (CLP) at a large Texas healthcare system is a strategy for enhancing professional well-being through fostering a culture of professional development. An opportunity to evaluate and enhance the CLP arose with an impending change to the workforce management solution that would no longer support the current compensation model. Intentional inclusion of direct care nurses (DCN) allowed for shared decision making (SDM) on the CLP changes.

In addition to compensation changes, inclusion of diverse generational needs, diversity/equity/inclusion, and well-being considerations enhanced the CLP. With direct input from DCN groups, the CLP enhancements correlate more contemporary professional/organizational needs …

Enhancing Er Resident And Preceptor Effectiveness: A Trainer Program Pilot Study, Jennifer R. Wilde, Emily Calabro

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) present a challenging environment for new graduate nurses (residents), often impacting proficiency and retention. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an ED Train the Trainer (T3) program, emphasizing the novel IIAR Identify, Intervene, Assess and Reassess model, in improving resident proficiency, confidence, and retention, as well as preceptor confidence. The program addressed the transitional gap between academic preparation and clinical practice by focusing on critical thinking and task management skills.

Methods: After IRB approval, a time-series design was employed. The T3 program incorporated various learning modalities, including face-to-face sessions, instructional videos, and hands-on …

Comparative Analysis Of Patient Acuity Tools: Enhancing Nursing Efficiency With An Ehr Acuity Tool, Carrundlas D. Mathews

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Introduction: This study aims to contrast a mobility acuity tool with an objective, comprehensive patient acuity tool (PAT). The mobility acuity tool subjectively describes the patient’s ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) based on a progressive Likert scale. A comprehensive PAT is a standardized system that can be integrated into electronic health records (EHR), quantifying the severity of a patient’s condition and evaluating identified nursing tasks to determine the level of care required in an evolving twenty-four-hours.

Purpose: This study will explore the differences in scope, implementation, nurse perception, and key performance indicators between a mobility tool and …

Fostering A Healthy Work Environment: Assessing And Implementing Aacn Standards, Kelly O'Meara, Lauren Simon, Jacqueline Swindell, Nicolette Vaccaro

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

This project examines the need for enhancing healthcare work environments. Healthy work environments (HWEs) provide increased job satisfaction, retention, and most importantly improved patient outcomes. Unhealthy work environments can lead to job dissatisfaction and poor performance, burnout, high levels of stress, and poor patient care. “To foster healthy work environments, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) established six standards, which include skilled communication, true collaboration, effective decision making, appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, and authentic leadership” (AACN, 2016). To further study HWEs, the current work environment of a cardiac telemetry unit was assessed by way of interviews, a pre-survey, professional …

Improving Workplace Wellbeing: What Made A Difference?, Laura J. Ridge, Paul Norrod, Maria Titler, Barbara Medvec, Chris Friese

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Abstract Text: Purpose: To investigate previous efforts and to identify promising workplace strategies to improve professional wellbeing among nurses.

Background: There is a mental health crisis in nursing that contributes to high rates of intention to leave (1,2). Systems-based approaches that go beyond the individual are crucial (2,3). But little is known about workplace-based approaches that can improve nurse mental health (1,2).

Methods: We deductively and inductively analyzed 1317 nurses’ survey-based free-text descriptions of strategies used by their workplaces to improve professional wellbeing. Details about the Michigan Nurses Study have been published previously (4). We compared responses from nurses who …

The Lived Experience Of Filipino Nurses Caring For Patients With Covid-19, Kristeline Suasin

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Reports of individuals exhibiting respiratory symptoms causing sudden deaths emerged as a pandemic in the start of a new decade. The onset of the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a worldwide health crisis brought out the significance of the nurses’ role in healthcare. This descriptive phenomenological research focused on the caring experiences of Filipino nurses among patients who were infected with COVID-19 in Negros Oriental, Philippines. Seven participants were identified through purposive and snowball sampling and were asked the question: What is it like to be caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Negros Oriental, Philippines during this pandemic? …

Path Analysis Of Filipino Nurses' Intent To Stay In The United Kingdom, Blaise B. Nieve, Sarah Bernadette L. Baleña

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Nature and Scope. Nurse attrition remains a significant issue in the UK, particularly among Filipino nurses, who form a substantial portion of the healthcare workforce.

Research Method. This descriptive-correlational study utilized path analysis to identify the best-fit model for predicting the intent to stay among Filipino nurses in the UK, based on job embeddedness, sociocultural adaptation, and job satisfaction. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit 553 respondents, all of whom were Filipino nurses of legal age, qualified to practice in the UK, and employed as registered nurses for at least one year in the public or private sector. Data were …

Workforce Advocacy: An Enhanced Transition Into Practice Program For Advanced Practice Providers, Kimberly Manning

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Abstract Text: Background
An aging population and shortage of providers contribute to shifts in the healthcare landscape and a rapid expansion of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) in healthcare systems. Effective APP Transition into Practice (TIP) programs are integral to prepare newly practicing APPs for autonomous practice, and the absence of such programs exacerbates role ambiguity and jeopardizes integration and retention of APPs. This gap negatively impacts patient outcomes, disrupts team dynamics, and increases financial strain on healthcare systems.
Purpose
This describes a successful and innovative TIP program. The TIP program aligns with ANCC Magnet® standards, influences patient safety, reduces APP …

A Journey Toward Belonging: Creating An Advanced Practice Provider Council, Victoria Goodwin, Jennifer Joyner

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Background: Advanced practice providers (APPs), composed of advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants, comprise a rapidly expanding role in the healthcare provider workforce (Arthur et al., 2020; Proulx, 2021). Despite their vast contributions to patient care and outcomes, many APPs have minimal or no administrative representation within healthcare organizations which may contribute to decreased engagement, collaboration, and perceived belonging (Condit & Hafeman, 2019; Gooden & Cole, 2023; Proulx, 2021). Efforts to improve multidisciplinary inclusion and collaboration for APPs must be undertaken to retain and develop this skilled provider group (Swanson et al., 2023). This is particularly important for organizations …

Healthcare Providers And The Lingering Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michelle M. Ness, Leigh Ann Difusco, Jennifer Saylor

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Purpose: To gain a better understanding of the experiences of healthcare providers caring for adult patients during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A descriptive, qualitative design was conducted using semi-structured interview questions. Eleven participants were recruited from a sample of 28 healthcare providers to participate in video interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data.

Results: Healthcare providers experienced continued distress related to concerns about the long-term effects on themselves, their families, and society. Three themes emerged from the data: (1) exhausted and emotionally numb; (2) vaccinated versus the unvaccinated; and (3) stressors and misguided supports.

Conclusion: …

Evolving Role Of Hospital Chaplains: Optimizing Patient, Staff, Self Well-Being During Pandemic, Linda Y. Kim, Sarah Low, Adrienne Martinez-Hollingsworth, Jason Weiner, Christina Shu, Bernice Coleman, Lucia Florindez

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Abstract Text: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented strain upon healthcare systems worldwide, presenting hospital chaplains with unique challenges in responding to the increased emotional, mental, and spiritual distress experienced by patients, families, and staff, while also having to prioritize their own well-being.1-3 Traditional methods of providing care were largely unavailable to these chaplains during the pandemic, requiring them to adopt new strategies and innovative ways to maintain engagement with patients and hospital staff.4-5

Study Aim: This study aimed to explore chaplains' experiences in caring for patients, family, and staff during the height of the pandemic, as the initial step …

Exploring Predictors Of Resilience And Burnout In Acute Care Nursing Leaders, Stephanie Bailey, Shirley D. Martin, Shonna Bracco, Norma Rivera, Regina Urban

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Individuals who work in nurse leader roles are vital to support safe patient care and achievement of organizational goals. They are also at risk for burnout and low levels of professional well-being. This presentation will offer a summary of a research study that explored variables associated with mental well-being in acute care nurse leaders and identified predictors of resilience and burnout.

Uniting Care In The Maternal Neonatal Dyad: A Call To Action For Collaboration, Stephanie Beres

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

Purpose: Clinical nurses at a Women’s and Children’s hospital advocated for a new campus-wide nursing practice council upon identifying the need to promote collaboration and ensuring a safe place for a healthy work environment between the maternal and neonatal nursing specialties via shared governance.

Relevance: Collaboration is associated with multiple positive outcomes including but not limited to nursing and clinical excellence, optimal patient outcomes, and an overall healthy work environment as set forth by the AACN framework (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 2016). The goal of this council is to improve collaboration, communication, and effective decision making across maternal/neonatal specialties …

Enhancing Cataract Surgery Outcomes: Optimal Use Of Pre- And Post-Operative Eye Drops, Keith Skolnick M.D., Anu Valiaveedu

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

Many preoperative and postoperative cataract patients struggle with comprehending the use of prescription medication as directed. Language barriers and low health literacy levels are major factors contributing to improper use of prescriptions. To increase patients comprehension, the Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute employed an educational intervention consisting of a live presentation and an instructional video. Results found that 44% of patients were hesitant to ask questions to clinical staff, 32% felt overwhelmed, and nearly 70% lacked confidence in using their prescribed eye drops. Following the intervention, 91% of patients reported increased confidence in their medications, and most indicated that the video …

Host, Microbiome, And Parasite: How Apicomplexan Microorganisms Interact With Gut Microbiota, Senia Bu, Andrew T. Ozga

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

The gut microbiome, a complex ecosystem of microorganisms residing in the human gastrointestinal tract, plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health. It functions in immune system regulation, digestion, and protection against pathogens. Apicomplexan parasites, such as Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium spp., and Cryptosporidium spp., are major pathogens that can significantly disrupt the gut microbiota, leading to alterations in microbial composition and function. This review explores the bidirectional interactions between Apicomplexan parasites and the gut microbiome, focusing on how these parasites influence microbial diversity, immune responses, and host metabolism. It examines the mechanisms by which infection-induced inflammation, altered …

From Infection To Restoration: A Case Study On Dental Extraction In The Maxilla Anterior, Melanie Ramirez

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

A dental implant is a restorative surgical procedure that serves as a solution to replace missing teeth that imitate the function, sensation, and appearance of natural teeth. The objective of this dental case study is to examine the diagnosis, treatment, and post-operation of a patient with a history of tooth loss and infection in the anterior maxilla. This case follows a 55-year-old patient, Jorge Marquez, name changed for confidentiality, who presented a severe tooth abscess on tooth #10 on the anterior maxilla which had previously undergone root canal treatment (Figure 1B). Radiographic evaluations illustrated the severity of the abscess the …

Agentic Workflow For Root-Cause Analysis And Fix Suggestions Based On Log Differencing, Shubham Khurana, Shreya Rana, Aastha Jain, Aneesha Jain

Defensive Publications Series

Integration testing in continuous integration/development environments produces large volumes of logs containing many errors and warnings, many of which are benign or unrelated. Identifying the specific error causing a test failure amidst this noise is a major challenge for developers seeking efficient and accurate debugging. This disclosure describes techniques that leverage large language models (LLMs) to automate and abstract root-cause analyses for test failures. A sequential, multi-step pipeline comprising artificial intelligence (AI) agents accepts as input a reference to a failing test run and produces a high-value, actionable output, e.g., a summary of the root cause and a suggested code …

Interactive Intelligent Agent For Gaming Assistance, Christopher James Tegethoff

Defensive Publications Series

This document describes techniques that enable a computing device (e.g., a personal computer, laptop, smartphone, smart watch, server system, etc.) to provide assistance and/or companionship to a player of a game application using an intelligent software agent (e.g., artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning model, etc.). Gaming environments may present challenges such as difficult learning curves, slow progression, complicated/unintuitive mechanics, and/or hostile social interactions. The intelligent agent may mitigate these challenges by acquiring game knowledge (e.g., via observing and learning from the player, “playing” the game on its own, training on tutorials and/or other instructional material, etc.) and offering in-game guidance …

Correlating Cross-Service Behavioral Signals To Identify Coordinated Inauthentic Activity, Mithun Kumar S R

Defensive Publications Series

Some systems for detecting fraudulent user-generated content (UGC) can be siloed and reactive, analyzing individual pieces of content or account metrics in isolation, which may leave them susceptible to coordinated campaigns spanning multiple services. A system and method are described that can construct a unified cross-service behavioral graph to address such challenges. This graph can ingest and correlate metadata from user activities across disparate services, for example, productivity, payment, and communication platforms, to identify precursor signals that may be indicative of fraudulent intent. By analyzing patterns such as co-reviewing, temporal pulsing, and suspicious cross-service coordination (e.g., template creation), the system …

Generating Financial Risk Tiers For Geo-Located Entities Using Monetary Claims From User-Generated Content And Transactional Signals, Mithun Kumar S R

Defensive Publications Series

Moderation systems for local business platforms may have difficulty identifying certain types of financial fraud, such as overcharging or fake deposit scams, because of challenges in validating monetary claims found in user-generated content (UGC). A disclosed method can address this potential limitation by synthesizing two different data streams. A system can use technologies, for example natural language processing and computer vision, to extract unstructured financial claims and pricing information from UGC, which may include content such as text reviews and photos of menus or receipts. The system can then correlate these claims with structured, verified transactional signals from integrated payment …

Battery Enclosure Panel And Associated Means Of Manufacture, Thomas J. Beck, Rahul Vilas Kulkarni, Xavier Varone

Defensive Publications Series

A battery enclosure panel may include a formable inner sheet having a generally planar outer surface and at least one recessed portion formed in the generally planar outer surface that defines a receiving area for a fire suppressant material, and an outer sheet at least partially joined to the generally planar outer surface of the inner formable sheet.

2025 Ursinus College Academic Convocation Program, Ursinus College

Academic Convocation Programs

This Ursinus College Academic Convocation program lists speakers and events for the opening of the 2025 academic year.

Ideas For Learning Newsletter: Late August ‘25, Iwasaki Library

IDEAS for Learning Newsletters

This IDEAS for Learning newsletter reached faculty of Emerson College on August 22nd, 2025. This is the second published issue of the two total issues that were published within the month of August. This is the 2nd issue of the 3rd volume. It includes top stories such as the Course Design Spa, remembering the three R’s when it comes to student concerns, meeting your school librarians, ITG workshops about Canvas, and a reminder about course reserves with a video tutorial on how to submit them. It also includes an interactive poll that asks faculty what Office of Academic Assessment topics …

Southern Adventist University Commencement Program Summer 2025, Southern Adventist University

Commencement Programs

Program for Southern Adventist University Summer 2025 graduation. The commencement service took place on August 22, 2025 at 10 am in Iles Physical Education Center.

When The Walls Talk Back: Black Women's Experience In The Graduate Classroom, Benesemon Simmons

Dissertations - ALL

Black women have historically experienced barriers in education and the traditional classroom space, facing visible and invisible walls that reinforce their silence, delegitimization, and harm. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine Black women’s experiences in the graduate classroom and use their voices to challenge the purpose and power of dominant structures—and talk back (hooks, 2014). Black Feminist Thought and Critical Race Theory were used as theoretical frameworks to better understand the unique experiences of Black women graduate students, help highlight their voices, and place their experiences and ideas at the center of analysis. To investigate this topic, …

Dataset For Landscape Changes And Declines In Aquila Chrysaetos (Golden Eagle) Territory Occupancy In Southwestern Idaho, Ashley L. Santiago, Jennyffer Cruz, Donna M. Delparte, Michael N. Kochert, Karen Steenhof, Joseph M. Weldon, Julie A. Heath

Biological Sciences Data

Rapid loss of native shrubs and expansion of invasive annual plants like cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) have altered North American shrub-steppe systems across extensive areas. Predators, like Aquila chrysaetos (Golden Eagles) that forage on shrub-reliant prey, may abandon historically occupied territories or increase their territory size to cope with degraded habitat. We used a multi-season Bayesian occupancy model that accounted for imperfect detection to investigate the associations between landscape cover, fire history, conspecific neighbor density, and occupancy of 36 A. chrysaetos territories in southwestern Idaho and the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, USA from 1986–2022. The …