Nursing Commons^™

Sociolinguistic Dimensions Of Nurse Practitioner Practice: A Question Of Power, Merrily J. Allen Dnsc, Mn, Rn

Dissertations

Ethnographic methods were used to examine the sociolinguistic dimensions of female nurse practitioner interactions with female patients. The purpose was to provide a contextual account of the discursive practices used by the nurse practitioners during routine office visits with female patients. Direction for this research was provided by my concern about power inherent in professional-client dyadic relationships. Data collection methods included formal and informal interviews, participant observation and audio taping nurse-patient encounters. Nine nurse practitioners and 26 patients participated in the study in both private and public ambulatory care settings. Data analysis yielded two concurrent story lines which I labeled …

Occupational Stress Among Nurse Administrators In General Hospitals In Tennessee, Ruby T. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of occupational stress among nurse administrators and to identify the types of strategies used by nurse administrators to deal with or manage occupational stress. The study examined the relationship between selected demographic variables, occupational stress, and strategies. The research design included five research questions along with seven null hypotheses testing the relationship between occupational stress and demographic variables--age, gender, marital status, years of professional nursing experience, years as a nurse administrator, educational attainment, and hospital bed capacity. There were seven additional hypotheses testing the relationship between the same demographic variables …

Meta-Analysis On Costing Out Nursing Services, Judith G. Eckhart Dnsc

Dissertations

This descriptive meta-analytic study investigated 73 primary studies on costing out nursing services. A critical review of the literature revealed that findings from the various published and unpublished studies were inconsistent and inconclusive. This meta-analysis integrated the literature to identify the relationships between nursing costs and a second variable. The most frequently reported variables among the primary studies were compared using Pearson r correlations and percentages. The variables of total and direct nursing costs were correlated to the variables of length of stay, direct nursing care hours, hospital costs, and diagnostic related grouping (DRG) reimbursements. Analysis was conducted two ways. …

Being Pregnant And Using Drugs: A Retrospective Phenomenological Inquiry, Merry A. Armstrong Dnsc, Msn

Dissertations

Qualitative methodology was employed to conduct a phenomenological inquiry describing the structure of the experience of being pregnant and using drugs. The purpose of the study was to explore the nature of women's experience and perception of the interaction, relationship, and intersection of contextual phenomena of lifestyle, pregnancy, and substance abuse. Data gathering and analysis was accomplished using guidelines provided by Spiegelberg and Van Manen. Eleven mothers voluntarily participating in a recovery program described their prior experience of being addicted and pregnant during 2 conversations with the researcher. Through transcript analysis of the first audio-taped interview, major and minor themes …

The Impact Of An Employee Involvement Program On Service Quality In A Nursing Home Organization, Diane Catanzaro

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of an intervention involving employee participation in decision making and behavior modeling training on quality of service. Subjects were nursing aides in two similar nursing home facilities operated by a medium-sized long-term care organization. Participation in decision making involved weekly meetings using a quality-circle-type problem-solving process to develop suggestions for improving quality of service to residents and their families. Behavior modeling training was used to teach interpersonal skills necessary for handling a customer complaint. Service quality was assessed through family, resident, and supervisor ratings of nursing aide service behaviors. The …

How Latinas Come To Know About Aids And Aids Prevention, Patricia Walker Caudle Dnsc, Mnsc, Fnp, Rnc

Dissertations

By the year 2000, Latinos will become the largest minority group in the United States. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is occurring at a disproportionately high rate among Latinos. As care-giver and health decision-maker in the family, the Latina needs to know about AIDS and AIDS prevention. This research identified and offers an explanation of how the Latina comes to know about AIDS and AIDS prevention within the context of the family and the Latino culture. Grounded theory methodology was used to explore the complex socialization patterns within the Latino community that affect how the Latina perceives HIV/AIDS. Data were collected …

A Proud Heritage : 100 Years Of Nursing Education, Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU University History Books

In the late 1980s, nursing alumni, faculty, and students began planning for the one hundredth anniversary observance of the founding of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing. The school traces its rich heritage back to the organization of the Virginia Hospital Training School for Nurses which opened in 1893. Betsy A. Bampton (MCV Class of 1960) undertook the writing of a school history published as the centennial celebration was set to begin. In this abundantly illustrated work, Bampton and her collaborators chronicle the development and growth of the eight diverse schools and programs that formed the foundation of the …

An Analysis Of The Values Influencing Neonatal Nurses' Perceptions And Behaviors In Selected Ethical Dilemmas, Deborah A. Raines

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify the values influencing the nurse's perception and choice of behavior in a hypothetical clinical situation. The theoretical framework was Rokeach's (1973) Theory on the Nature of Human Values and Value Systems. A descriptive study using a mailed survey was conducted on a random sample of 331 members of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. Data on individual nurses' values, perception of information and behavioral choices were collected with an investigator developed questionnaire, consisting of a values scale (alpha =.82) and an information scale and choice alternatives related to three hypothetical vignettes: a …

Remote Area Nursing In Western Australia: An Examination Of A Conceptual Model For Practice, Anne Magee

Theses : Honours

The intent of this research was to explore the phenomenon of remote area nursing in relation to a theoretical framework, the SUN Conceptual Model. A Theory-Research-Theory strategy was chosen in order to modify, refine or redevelop the model. Using a descriptive, interpretive design, a sample of eight Remote Area Nurses (RANs) in Western Australia were asked to describe their experiences of remote area nursing. The data were collected by telephone interview. Themes were extrapolated and categorised according to key concepts of the previously developed model. Common components of significant statements were identified in order to gain understanding of the meanings …

Factors Influencing A Battered Woman's Perception Of Controllability In Violent Intimate Relationships, Patricia Ann Chin Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

Despite the fact that domestic violence has been the focus of empirical investigation for more than twenty years, little is known about the phenomenon. While the available body of knowledge provides a sketchy picture of the abused woman and her abuser, and helps to dispel many of the myths surrounding spousal abuse, it provides very little insight into the dynamics of wife abuse. This study, based upon a foundation of the Reformulated Learned Helplessness Theory, was designed to explore the nature of the relationships among concepts that have been identified within the context of battering, and that were thought to …

A Suffering Odyssey: A Phenomenological-Interpretive Analysis, William M. Scott

Legacy ETDs

The purpose of this study is to explicate how suffering is experienced and interpreted by sufferers. Nursing and medical literature, until quite recently, has been visibly bereft on the topic of human suffering. The subject is made even more confusing because of a lack of a standardized definition: By its very essence, suffering is a relative experience, highly personalized and intimately interpreted. In the past, it has been related to mental anguish, injury, loss, stress, and pain.

Five individuals from contextually different regions of the world were asked to share their suffering stories. Two lived in the southern coastal area …