Nursing Commons^™

The Blurred Boundaries Of Care: A Qualitative Analysis Of Nurse-Doula Role Conflict, Curisa Mae Tucker Phd, Rn, Maria Mcclam, Kelly Russin Dnp, Rnc-Ob, Chse, Nansi Boghossian, Rachel Gulczinski, Lauren Workman

Faculty Publications

Introduction:

Methods:

Falls In Inpatient Hospital Settings, Merlina Constantine

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inpatient falls are a common and preventable problem that affects health care costs, patient safety, and clinical quality. Inpatient falls occur within hospitals, cause harm, extend hospitalization, and require additional healthcare funding. Falls harm a patient’s physical health and cause emotional trauma, decrease patient satisfaction, and undermine confidence in the hospital care systems. Falls are therefore a significant concern in the nursing practice environment because nurses form the first component of prevention, monitoring, and intervention. This doctoral project aimed to re-educate and reinforce staff understanding of clinical guidelines to prevent inpatient falls through evidence-based interventions targeting environmental, behavioral, and organizational …

Cervical Dilation Assessment Simulation For Development Of Student Nurse Competency, Ashley Romans

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Assessment of cervical dilation is an important component in care for the pregnant and laboring patient. However, nursing students frequently encounter barriers to acquiring this assessment skill in the clinical setting. Through application of the ACE Star model, a simulation-based teaching trainer is utilized to promote achievement of student competence while respecting the limitations of the hospital clinical experience. Varied opportunities for purchasing or constructing these simulation tools allows for beneficial learning experiences at different price points, promoting the implementation of this important tool in the most appropriate method for an individual setting. Implementation of the cervical dilation simulator allows …

Adding Clinical Meaning To Hybrid Prelicensure Nursing Skills Education: Simulated Patients And Demo Medications To Reduce Modality-Based Learning Gaps, Amanda L. Rudman

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Hybrid nursing students often practice psychomotor skills in home environments that lack an authentic clinical context. This may contribute to gaps in clinical reasoning and application when compared with students who practice in on-campus settings. This difference may limit students’ ability to connect their skills to patient care situations and safely apply their knowledge in practice. The purpose of this evidence-based curriculum project is to reduce these learning gaps by using diagnosis-based simulated patient scenarios, medication administration records (MARs), and specific intravenous (IV) medications in hybrid nursing skills education. This project follows the ACE Star Model of Knowledge Transformation, which …

Implementing A Student Standardized Patient Elective To Improve Communication And Confidence In Undergraduate Nursing Simulation, Katie J. Mcqueen

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Abstract

Simulation plays an important role in preparing undergraduate nursing students for clinical practice by fostering communication skills and building confidence. Currently, simulation experiences often depend on faculty and staff to play the roles of patients or family members. Research shows that nursing students can be effectively trained to serve as standardized patients, creating opportunities for peer-supported learning and improving simulation experiences. This evidence-based practice proposal recommends the implementation of a 1-credit-hour Student Standardized Patient (SSP) elective in the undergraduate nursing curriculum for senior level nursing students. The elective would provide structured training in role portrayal, safety practices, and case …

Adn Transition Program; Curriculum Changes To Promote Non-Traditional Student Retention, Sayde K. Fitzgerald

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

ADN transition program; curriculum changes to promote non-traditional student retention

Sayde Fitzgerald, BSN RN

Department of Nursing, Fort Hays State University

NURS 868: Nursing Education: Curriculum Planning

Dr. Chrstine Hober

March 29, 2026

Abstract

Barton nursing instructors have recognized retention challenges among non-traditional students entering the ADN program, a situation further complicated by a nursing shortage and high attrition rates ranging from 10% to 30% (Sheikoleslami et al., 2025). These factors significantly impede workforce development. Non-traditional students encounter distinctive difficulties in adapting to the demanding curriculum, often facing a lack of support and the need to balance personal responsibilities (Mazzotta …

Early Sepsis-Recognition Simulation Training: An Evidence-Based Initiative, Blanca A. Zavala

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that requires rapid recognition and intervention to prevent poor patient outcomes. Delays in identification remain a significant concern for patient safety, particularly among nurses and nursing students who may lack confidence and clinical judgment in early sepsis recognition (Marsack et al., 2022). This evidence-based practice project aimed to examine the existing evidence on sepsis education and evaluate the effectiveness of simulation-based learning in improving clinical judgment and sepsis recognition, with the goal of informing a potential sepsis training initiative for nursing students.

A literature review of six peer-reviewed studies (2022–2026) was conducted using the PubMed …

Nurse Educators’ Understanding Of Social Justice As A Core Professional Value, Julie Larson, Msn, Rn

College of Nursing Posters

Background

• Health disparities persist along socially constructed lines
• Equity and social justice are prioritized as core values in The Essentials¹ and The Future of Nursing², yet social justice in nursing remains “abstractly defined and poorly operationalized”³ 
• Growing social determinants of health (SDoH) focus in nursing education with limited attention to structural causes

Key literature findings:

• Limited curricular inclusion of social justice; unclear understanding of student learning ^4,5,6
• Faculty hesitancy; lack of preparation to teach equity/social justice content ^7,8
• Predominance of Whiteness in nursing education ^9,10

Enhancing Staff Education For Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring In Rural Clinics, Judi Brown Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This is an educational intervention project targeted was developed to fill a knowledge gap in the treatment of hypertension in a rural primary care clinic. The project focused on enhancing staff education for Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring (RBPM) to enhance the desired patient outcomes regarding continuous monitoring and early interventional actions. The practice problem focuses on the lack of effective methods in managing hypertension that can facilitate the identification of hypertensive crisis and in rural areas. This project's primary research question is: "How can staff education on RBPM enhance knowledge and skills about hypertension management in rural clinics?" The project …

Increasing Implementation Of Intimate Partner Violence Screenings In Patient Care To Improve Patient Outcomes, Emma Webb, Eliza Heinrich, Emma Foran

Scholars Week

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an issue that affects every patient population, age group, and gender. In order to detect intimate partner violence among patients in a healthcare setting, it is proposed that a standardized screening tool be implemented. A policy was created to implement universal IPV screenings in a healthcare facility.

Improving Collaboration Between Rns And Crnas For Informed Consents, Bella Warren, Aliyah Frutiger

Scholars Week

This presentation focuses on improving collaboration and communication between Registered Nurses (RNs) and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) to help with the informed consent process for epidurals during labor. It emphasizes that obtaining informed consent during active labor can impair the patient’s cognitive function from pain and stress. The research shows that earlier education, prior to severe pain, improves the quality of comprehension the patient has during the process. Therefore they will be able to fully understand the risks, benefits and alternatives to epidural anesthesia.

Shared Decision-Making For Patient Compliance, Lydia Vernon, Breanna Day

Scholars Week

This evidence-based project focuses on shared decision-making between the healthcare team and the patient. As well as how this implementation affects patient compliance. An issue of patient noncompliance was brought to attention, and this project will address how shared decision-making interventions can decrease patients’ feelings of overwhelmingness and underpreparedness, ultimately leading to better compliance after discharge. By focusing on these interventions, patient compliance increases, and as a result, patient outcomes benefit, and readmission rates decline.

The Standardization Of Protocols For Lines And Drips In Complex Cases, Allee A. Rudolph

Scholars Week

Medication errors occur far too often, yet many can be prevented through simple measures such as intravenous line labeling. Clear, highly visible labels enable quick identification reducing the response time in critical situations. The incorporation of color-coding and icons can only enhance the ability to distinguish between the lines with confidence.

Reducing Falls Through Innovative Assessment Scales, Emily Oliver, Alisa Helt

Scholars Week

Fall occurrences remain an important issue in hospital settings that contribute to longer hospital stays, higher healthcare costs, and increased health risks for patients. This evidence based practice project evaluates current research that addresses how to reduce the amount of falls that occur in hospitals, specifically through innovative fall risk assessments. Key findings from the studies include the use of the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) and the Modified Dionne’s Egress Test as a means to evaluate patients mobility function, and therefore gain a better understanding of how at risk a patient is for falls.

Implementation Of A Dual-Registered Nurse Skin Assessment Protocol To Reduce Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries, Kaylie V. Newbold, Nishita Trivedi, Mckenzie Clendenen, Jariah Mcdaniel

Scholars Week

Hospital-acquired pressure injuries(HAPIs) remain a significant patient safety concern due to gaps in early detection, lack of structured skin assessments, and thorough documentation. This evidence based practice project proposes a dual-Registered Nurse skin assessment protocol, requiring two Registered Nurses to perform a full risk assessment and co-sign documentation, within two hours of hospital admission, and every 12 hours thereafter. Implementing these practices will improve accuracy, reduce missed injuries, further improve the use of other skin assessment tools such as the Braden Scale. This set of interventions promotes early detection, prevention, accountability, and improved patient outcomes, guided by the Health Promotion …

Reducing Nurse Burnout, Kaylee R. Mofield

Scholars Week

I presented an evidence-based project to a healthcare facility with interventions and a suggested policy change to help reduce nurse burnout. One suggested policy change I made was changing the staffing policy. Within this new policy I suggest that if the patient census was 25 patients it calls for 5 nurses, 17-20 patient calls for 4 nurses, 16 or less patients calls for 3 nurses; along with no calling off staff due to census but rather utilizing this staff as a float or resource nurse. Another suggestion I made was nursing leadership holding monthly “check-in” meetings separate from the monthly …

Fast Track In The Emergency Department, Raegan Luechtefeld, Ella Kjellberg

Scholars Week

Emergency departments nationwide all consistently work to improve efficiency and patient care, reduce wait times to be seen and length of stay, decrease overcrowding, and increase both staff and patient satisfaction. One way to utilize evidence-based practice and provide better patient outcomes is to implement “fast tracks” into emergency departments. This is used as a triage tool in order to separate critical patients from ones with minor illnesses and injuries. Fast tracks help to accomplish all of the stated goals by helping the providers and nurses to give more specialized and efficient care. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project …

Decreasing Wound Healing Times By Decreasing Stress Levels, Bayleigh S. Kraus, Colson Burnett, Kelsey Spann

Scholars Week

The relationship between stress levels and delayed wound healing needs to be further investigated, particularly in hospitalized and chronically ill patients. Research shows that psychological stress can impair immune function, reduce tissue regeneration, and prolong inflammation, all of which slow the healing process. It is important to explore how both acute and chronic stress affect different types of wounds, such as surgical incisions, pressure injuries, and diabetic ulcers. Additionally, identifying which stress-reduction interventions are most effective in improving healing outcomes is essential. Understanding these factors can help nurses implement targeted, evidence-based interventions to promote faster recovery.

Implementing Labor Plans To Increase Labor Satisfaction, Allyson G. Johnson, Emma G. Hancock, Kinley Edwards

Scholars Week

This scholarly presentation examines the implementation of a standardized birth plan tool within a healthcare facility to improve maternal birth satisfaction. The project focuses on enhancing patient-provider communication, supporting shared decision-making, and ensuring that patient preferences are clearly documented and respected throughout labor and delivery. Findings suggest that integrating a structured birth plan tool may increase maternal satisfaction and promote more patient-centered obstetric care.

Reducing 30-Day Readmissions: Simplifying Discharge, Olivia Hibbs

Scholars Week

Hospital readmissions within 30 days remain a major challenge for healthcare systems and are often linked to ineffective discharge communication and low patient health literacy. Improving discharge planning through simplified instructions, early education, and the teach-back method can help ensure patients understand their medications, follow-up care, and warning signs after leaving the hospital. Strengthening communication and care coordination during the transition from hospital to home may improve patient outcomes and reduce preventable readmissions.

Meds-To-Beds Improving Medication Adherence, Hannah Draper, Regan Ashby, Ryan Rieke

Scholars Week

The Meds-to-Beds program improves medication adherence by delivering prescribed medications directly to patients before hospital discharge, ensuring timely access and reducing barriers such as transportation or pharmacy delays. By incorporating bedside education from pharmacists, patients gain a clearer understanding of their medications, which enhances confidence and proper use. This coordinated approach has been shown to decrease readmission rates and improve overall patient outcomes.

Implementing A Health Literacy Assessment To Reduce Readmissions, Saiylor M. Beecham, Jewel Render, Bethany Pruitt

Scholars Week

This presentation examines the impact of limited health literacy on patient outcomes, highlighting its role in medication errors and hospital readmissions. Grounded in Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory, it emphasizes the importance of implementing standardized, non-stigmatizing health literacy assessments to improve nurse-patient communication and patient understanding. Evidence-based strategies such as teach-back methods and plain language education are recommended to enhance patient safety and reduce preventable readmissions.

Assessing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Christine A. Mccaulay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This Doctor of Nursing Practice capstone project presents the development and evaluation of a clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the assessment and management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in adults. The project addresses the ongoing challenge of diabetes-related complications and hospitalizations, highlighting the critical role of personalized patient education and the integration of smartphone technology for home monitoring. Central to this initiative was the question of whether an expert panel would endorse an evidence-based guideline for diabetes monitoring using innovative technology, as evaluated by the AGREE II tool. A robust review of the literature supported the guideline’s development, with high-quality …

Reducing Social Isolation In Elderly Hospice Patients Through Structured Social Interventions, Ashley Babayan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral project was conducted as a quality improvement organizational change initiative aimed at reducing social isolation among elderly hospice patients through structured social interventions. Social isolation is a significant psychosocial concern in hospice populations and is associated with increased emotional distress, depression, and decreased quality of life. Despite hospice care’s holistic philosophy, structured and standardized social engagement interventions are inconsistently implemented across settings, creating a gap in practice. The practice-focused question guiding this project was: In elderly hospice patients experiencing social isolation, how do structured social interventions (regular visits, group activities, and emotional support systems), compared to standard hospice …

Utilizing Proactive Rounding With Nursing Leadership To Improve Patient Satisfaction Scores In An Adult Medical-Surgical Unit, Lily A. Bogyah

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Patient satisfaction is a key quality indicator that reflects patients’ perceptions of care and the healthcare system’s performance. Patient satisfaction scores at the project site were significantly lower than the national benchmark, particularly on the adult medical-surgical unit.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In patients on an adult medical-surgical unit (P), how does the use of proactive patient rounding conducted by nurse leaders (I) versus current practices alone without such rounding (C) affect patient satisfaction scores over an eight-week period (T)?

Evidence: A literature review of multiple studies found that implementing daily nurse leader …

Exploring The Relationship Between Behavioral Health Early Prediction Model And Patient Outcomes In The Emergency Department, Karen M. Richendollar, Kathie M. Zimbro

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Problem: Emergency departments (EDs) are increasingly utilized for mental health (MH) care, often resulting in overcrowding and delayed access to specialized services. A significant proportion of MH patients are discharged without a psychiatric consult, raising concerns about safety and readmission rates. This trend places additional strain on already limited behavioral health resources and contributes to care delays for patients in acute crisis. Moreover, the lack of standardized discharge criteria for MH patients increases variability in care and may compromise patient outcomes. Purpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Behavioral Health Early Discharge Prediction Model (BHEDPM) in identifying MH patients …

A Scoping Review Of Gender-Based Violence Interventions Conducted In Afghanistan, Wahiba Abu-Ras, Basil H. Aboul-Enein, Patricia J. Kelly, Dilshod Achilov

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

BACKGROUND: Gender-based violence (GBV) remains one of the most pervasive human rights and public health challenges worldwide, with disproportionate impacts on women and girls in conflict-affected and fragile states. Afghanistan represents one of the most restrictive environments for women's rights, where structural, cultural, and political barriers severely limit the implementation and evaluation of GBV-prevention programs. This scoping review aims to identify and critically appraise GBV prevention and response interventions implemented in Afghanistan and assess their contribution to advancing gender and health equity.

METHODS: Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines and the PICOS framework, nine databases were systematically searched for studies published between 2010 …

Evaluation Of Nurses' Leadership Self-Efficacy In Belize, Ruth Rosalee Reina Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nursing leadership in Belize is lacking but crucial to the well-being of patients, families, and the healthcare team. The purpose of this non-experimental, descriptive, comparative study was to a) determine the difference in leadership self-efficacy for current nurse leaders with three years or less of leadership experience compared to current nurse leaders with more than three years of leadership experience in Belize, and b) examine the differences in leadership self-efficacy between nurses in a leadership position and nurses not in a leadership position in Belize. The theories supporting the study were Burns’ transformational leadership theory and leadership self-efficacy, based on …

Bio 230 - Microbiology, Sarah Moroianu

Open Educational Resources

This open educational resource (OER) syllabus is designed for BIO 230: Microbiology at Lehman College, City University of New York (CUNY), a single-semester introductory microbiology course for non-biology majors such as Nursing, Dietetics, Health Education, and Physical Education. The course reviews microbial structure, metabolism, genetics, and microbial ecology, with applied emphasis on infectious disease, antimicrobial drugs, host immune defenses, and microbial diseases. The syllabus aligns course content with the freely available OpenStax Microbiology textbook (Parker et al., CC BY 4.0) and reflects accessibility best practices consistent with CUNY guidelines.

Optimizing Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (Crrt) In The Icu: A Qsen-Based Framework For Nursing Decision-Making Support, Leslie Okhirkhian

Knowledge and Creativity Expo

Nurses in critical care environments must exercise precise clinical judgement to recognize patient destabilization cues while managing the complex biomedical technologies that support failing physiological systems. Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) is a modality for hemodynamically unstable patients requiring fluid overload management and waste removal; however, it is a complex technology that demands nurses navigate a “tightrope” between renal perfusion and hemodynamic stability. Despite its prevalence, there is no concise decision-making support for nursing care in the current literature based on the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) strategies. This presentation addresses this gap by proposing a QSEN-based, standardized …