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Commencement Program 2015, Loma Linda University

Commencement Programs

CONTENTS

1 | Message from the President

3 | 2015 Events of Commencement

5 | The Academic Procession

7 | Significance of Academic Regalia

9 | The Good Samaritan

10 | University History Highlights

12 | Loma Linda University Song - "Healing Love"

13 | The Speakers

23 | The University Honorees

45 | The School Honorees

72 | The Programs

• School of Medicine, 73
• School of Pharmacy, 95
• School of Dentistry, 103
• School of Allied Health Professions, 122
• School of Allied Health Professions - Physical Therapy, 143
• School of Public Health, 154
• School of Behavioral Health and School of …

A Grounded Theory Study Of How Parents Made The Decision About Residential Group Home Placement For Their Adult Child With Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, Laura A. Sardinia-Prager

Theses & Dissertations

Background: The parent caregivers of a child with an Intellectual Disability/Developmental Disability (ID/DD) face lifelong challenges that may at some point involve the decision about residential group home placement of the adult child. In the course of the child’s lifetime, the parents who have provided care may need to consider a safe alternative. The decision about residential group home placement of the adult child can be the result of numerous factors. Objective: The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to investigate the phenomenon of how the parent caregivers made the decision for residential group home placement for their adult child …

Leadership Style And Patient Safety: Implications For Nurse Managers, Katreena Collette Merrill

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between nurse manager (NM) leadership style and safety climate.

BACKGROUND: Nursing leaders are needed who will change the environment and increase patient safety. Hospital NMs are positioned to impact day-to-day operations. Therefore, it is essential to inform nurse executives regarding the impact of leadership style on patient safety.

METHODS: A descriptive correlational study was conducted in 41 nursing departments across 9 hospitals. The hospital unit safety climate survey and multifactorial leadership questionnaire were completed by 466 staff nurses. Bivariate and regression analyses were conducted to determine how well leadership …

Transition After Breast Cancer Treatment: Implementing Survivorship Care Plans, Susan Hope Klein

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

The success of cancer treatments have resulted in a rapid growth of survivors, providing the impetus for the oncology community to examine models of care supporting smooth transition from active treatment to survivorship care. While initially a recommendation of the Institute of Medicine, treatment summaries and survivorship care plans are now an accreditation requirement for many organizations. This article describes the implementation of an evidence based practice project designed to meet these standards while improving the knowledge and satisfaction of a population of breast cancer patients at a community-based oncology practice.

Diabetic Prevention The Hard Way: Modified Diet And Increased Exercise, Torrie Reese St.Julien

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background and Purpose: In the United States, 79 million people are pre-diabetic: most have no symptoms. If left untreated, 37% will develop diabetes within 4 years. Fourteen percent of United States health care expenditures are related to diabetic complications. This Evidenced Based Project (EBP) involved a behavioral lifestyle change with the purpose of 7% weight loss and a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity a week. It was also designed to reduce risk factors and glycated hemoglobin A1c (HgA1c) levels.

Methods: The interventional approach was modeled after the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and Group Lifestyle Balance Program. Participants were …

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Education Improvement Project, Reginald M. Hilarie

Master's Projects and Capstones

In 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the pill Truvada for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. Its purpose is to help prevent HIV infection by taking one pill every day. This project aims to improve PrEP patient education provided by the multi-disciplinary team and to decrease new HIV infection and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) to zero. The focus of the study is patients on PrEP at the Infectious Disease and HIV Clinic in San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center. The Clinical Nurse Leader, in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, incorporated Pender’s Health Promotion Model Theory in developing …

An Investigation Of The Relationships Between And Among Power, Trust And Job Satisfaction Of Nurse Managers In Acute Care Hospitals Using Rogers Science Of Unitary Human Beings, Maureen A. Schneider

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: Defined as control and freedom, power is often characterized as hierarchical. Power-as-freedom exists as a unitary manifestation of the whole and is acausal. Thus a worldview that emphasizes mutual process rather than a causal (control) view supports a culture of trust in the healthcare environment that generates a committed and a thriving work force. When nurse leaders support a climate of trust, managers develop a sense of commitment to the organization which may lead to job satisfaction. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence supporting the relationship between power, trust and job satisfaction among nurse managers.

Purpose: The …

The Relationships Between Patients’ Perceptions Of Nurse Caring Behaviors, Nurses’ Perceptions Of Nurse Caring Behaviors And Patient Satisfaction In The Emergency Department, Theresa Bucco

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: Approximately 100 million people seek care in Emergency Departments yearly, which can be overwhelming for many Emergency Department (ED) nurses. Thus, caring for these patients and meeting their needs is challenging for ED nurses. It is the patients’ perceptions of the first caring encounters in the ED that can have a significant impact on patient satisfaction.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between patients’ perceptions of nurse caring behaviors, nurses’ perceptions of nurse caring behaviors, and patient satisfaction in the ED.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that examined the …

Exploration Of The Relationships Between And Among Role Strain, Faculty Stress, And Organizational Support For Clinical Nurse Faculty Faced With A Decision To Assign A Failing Grade, Jeannie Couper

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Despite a stressful process, Clinical Nurse Faculty (CNF) are ultimately responsible for assigning a grade indicating that a student successfully met clinical course outcomes and standards of safe practice required to progress (Amicucci, 2012). The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to explore the relationships between perceived role strain (PRS), perceived faculty stress (PFS), and perceived organizational support (POS) for CNF who faced the decision to assign a failing grade to a student in a clinical practicum. A national sample of 390 predominantly full-time, female, experienced CNF teaching in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs completed the online survey consisting …

Exploring The Relationship Between Moral Distress And Coping In Emergency Nursing, Kathleen Evanovich Zavotsky

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: Emergency Department (ED) nurses practice in environments that are highly charged and unpredictable in nature and can precipitate conflict between the necessary prescribed actions and the individual’s sense of what is morally the right thing to do. As a consequence of multiple moral dilemmas ED staff nurses are at risk for experiencing distress and how they cope with these challenges may impact their practice.

Objectives: Is to examine moral distress in ED nurses and its relationship to coping in that specialty group.

Methods: Using survey methods approach. One hundred ninety eight ED nurses completed a moral distress, …

Transitional Care Of Adult Patients With Diabetes Following Hospitalizations, Eric Tobin

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to incorporate a diabetes transitional care program using group visits to improve self-care management behaviors and glycemic control in diabetic patients at a southern California hospital.

Background: Diabetes is a challenging healthcare problem associated with significant mortality and morbidity issues. In 2012, 29.1 million people, or 9.3% of the U.S. population, were diagnosed with diabetes, and 28.9 million of those patients were 20 years of age and older. Today, diabetes is of epidemic proportion worldwide, and a projection of 5.4% of the adult population will have diabetes by 2025. The …

The Contemporary Use Of Nurse Practitioners In U.S. Emergency Departments, Jeffrey L. Bevan

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Problem: The increased demand for emergency care in the United States (U.S.) has been well-documented and there is growing utilization of nurse practitioners in U.S. emergency departments. However, little is known about the nurse practitioner (NP) role in the emergency department setting within the past five years.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to describe the demographic characteristics of patients, patient conditions treated, diagnostic tests ordered, and procedures performed by nurse practitioners in a national sample of U.S. emergency departments.

Methodology: This secondary analysis used a non-experimental quantitative, descriptive exploratory design to review data from the National Hospital Ambulatory …

Promoting Oral Health Knowledge In African American College Students, Terri Huff-Simmons

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Objective. The primary aim was to assess African American college student's knowledge of oral health and healthcare access.

Methods. The project was a quantitative descriptive study using a pre and posttest design. A pre questionnaire containing items regarding oral hygiene and oral health based on the recommendations of the American Dental Association (ADA) as well as questions about access to oral healthcare was distributed to African American college students to measure their knowledge. A demographic questionnaire was distributed. Students participated in a 20-30 minute oral health educational program. A post-test was given 4-6 weeks after the initial pre-test.

Results. …

Nurse’S Perceptions Of Visitor’S Adherence To Transmission-Based Precautions, Jocelyn K. Spenillo

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Transmissions based precautions are measures implemented in various clinical health care settings as a means to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases and decrease instances of healthcare acquired infections (HAI). HAI’s result in increased cost to hospitals, longer hospitalization for patients, increased patient suffering, and fatal patient outcomes. While staff member adherence to transmissions based precautions are mandated through various organizations and hospital policies, a review of literature indicates little research has been conducted regarding visitor compliance with transmission-based precautions. The potential implications in healthcare from visitor non-adherence acquired infections are unknown; revealing a gap in literature and supporting the …

Tobacco Use And Attachment Style, Mary Heath Wise

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tobacco has been recognized as the number one cause of preventable death in America and results in almost 5.2 million years of potential life lost each year. The use of tobacco products is highly correlated with pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, and other forms of chronic illness in America. Within the last ten years new tobacco products have been trending in the tobacco market such as the water pipe/hookah and e-cigarettes. With e-cigarettes and other newer forms of tobacco on the rise, it is important to look at the underlying factors for using all kinds of tobacco products as a means …

Cultural Humility: A Lifelong Process For Professional Nurses, Jenny Adelstein

Senior Honors Projects

Cultural humility is necessary for all nurses in order to provide the best quality patient care. It is a life-long process of self-reflection and self-critique, which allows nurses to examine differences and similarities between their own beliefs, values, and health care goals with those of their patients (Schuessler et al., 2012). Cultural humility helps nurses to recognize potential differences in the meaning of health and wellness among their patients, and to begin to understand the many challenges to accessing quality health care. Cultural immersion programs is one educational strategy to allow nursing students to develop cultural humility through acquiring critical …

Evidence-Based Strategies To Minimize Risk For Opioid Pain Medication Misuse Among Patients With Chronic Pain In A Primary Care Setting, Carolyn Diane Coleman

Doctoral Projects

Background: Prescription opioid pain medication misuse has become a nationwide epidemic. Many states have implemented prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) to assist in combating the problem of prescription opioid pain medication misuse. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines as well as the PMDP should be utilized by healthcare providers to guide treatment of chronic pain with opioid pain medications. Purpose: The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to determine if providers are accessing the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) and utilizing evidence-based guidelines to minimize opioid pain medications misuse among patients with chronic pain in a primary care setting. …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Mindfulness Practice In Children And Adolescents: A Comprehensive Review Of Evidence-Based Research, Donna Nikander

Doctoral Projects

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common mental illness in the United States among male and female children and adolescents between the ages of 3 and 17. The emerging fields of neurobiology and neuroimaging have proposed a relationship between mindfulness meditation therapies—initially referred to as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and now simply known as mindfulness—and improvements in attention and self-regulation, two major problem areas for ADHD sufferers. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that mindfulness therapies may be effective in reducing symptoms of ADHD in children and adolescents. The purpose of this paper is to review, analyze and synthesize the …

Admission Medication Reconciliation Process To Improve Patient Outcomes, Vanessa Ann Irwin

Doctoral Projects

Medication reconciliation is an important process in the acute care setting that has implications for patient safety and outcomes. The medication reconciliation process occurs at transitions in care and involves disciplines including; nurses, pharmacists, and physicians. The role of the nurse in the admission portion of the process includes collecting and entering home medication information into the electronic medical record. It is crucial for the medication information to be entered in an accurate, timely, and complete manner.

The addition of the electronic medical record has not solved documentation challenges related to medication reconciliation but has added more transparency of issues. …

Commercial Sexual Exploitation: The Role Of The Advanced Practice Nurse In Screening Patient At-Risk, Sheri Rickman Patrick

Doctoral Projects

Problem: Human trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) is a global problem effecting every country including the United States. The impact of human trafficking while it is devastating to individuals, the impact goes well beyond individual victims and undermines the health, safety and security of all nations (U.S. Department of State Publication, 2007, p. 5).This research is an attempt to assess the knowledge of advance practice nurses or nurse practitioners (NP) in the subject of commercial sexual exploitation and their willingness to screen their patients who may be at-risk.

Methods: The design was web-based with advanced practice nurses who are …