<p> Male nurses are but a small percentage of the total nurse population in the United States, and most certainly have potential to increase in numbers if the profession appeared more attractive as a career option for men. The purpose of this research was to discover the decision factors used by males that led them to enroll in Associate Degree nursing programs in Illinois community colleges. To set the background and context, the study explored the history of community colleges and that of nursing. Included was nursing as a profession, nursing in the United States, the country&rsquo;s impending nursing shortage and the role of men in nursing. </p><p> Using a qualitative case study method of design, the study adapted a multi-theoretical framework encompassing gender theory (GT) and career developmental theory (CDT). These theories were further broken down by discussing, in particular, Holland&rsquo;s Theory (HT) of Personality and Vocational Choice and Krumboltz&rsquo;s Social Learning Theory (KSLT) under CDT. Nine first year male ADN students from three separate Illinois community colleges were individually interviewed. Findings discovered that the first year male students experienced a distinctive decision making process with eight emerging themes revealing the males&rsquo; decision making about their ADN enrollment process. </p><p> As a result of the study&rsquo;s findings, MURSE: Resurreccion&rsquo;s Male Nursing Student Decision Making Pyramid model was developed to elaborate the steps of how males make decisions about their ADN enrollment. An understanding of these factors can provide opportunities for community colleges, and perhaps universities, to improve recruitment and retention of males in nursing programs. A result would be increased numbers of males enrolling in Associate as well as Baccalaureate nursing programs. Such knowledge held by colleges may help to address a manpower solution to the impending worldwide nursing shortage. </p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to create a 6-week nutrition education and culinary skill curriculum for use by educators of middle-school adolescents in conjunction with use of an existing school-based educational garden and kitchen facility. Specifically, this project provides guidelines for delivering education regarding an overall healthy lifestyle during the adolescent years, optimal nutrition, food safety, meal plans, and kitchen skills, two times per season for each of the major seasons (fall, winter, spring) coinciding with the typical Pacific Northwest school calendar.</p><p> The curriculum was designed to provide educators with age appropriate lessons based on scientifically-founded information. The curriculum was reviewed by an expert panel and modifications were made based on their recommendations. The final curriculum was not pilot tested.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to develop an education-based curriculum comprised of three sessions, 1 hour each, to educate Registered Dietitians and Dietetic Interns about vegetarian eating patterns and the benefits of soy in vegetarian diets. Specific objectives of the study were: (a) To review the literature and depth of the problem, (b) To review existing similar curriculum, (c) To develop an education-based curriculum to educate RDs and DIs about vegetarianism and soy, and (d) To develop tools to measure learner comprehension of the information presented in the curriculum.</p><p> The nutrition curriculum was developed to help RDs and DIs understand vegetarianism and benefits of soy in a vegetarian eating pattern. An expert panel reviewed the curriculum and modifications were made based on their suggestions. PowerPoint slides, discussions and handouts were used to educate 12 DIs. An increase in knowledge and positive comments occurred.</p><p> The curriculum will help RDs and DIs educate their vegetarian clients in an evidence-based manner.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to create a cardiac rehabilitation nutrition education program with relevant nutrition topics. This program aimed to educate cardiac rehabilitation participants about Eating Heart Healthy as it relates to various topics leading to successful lifestyle changes. Therefore, this program may be used as a secondary prevention tool for post-cardiac event patients.</p><p> The eight-week nutrition education program consists of three modules: general dietary guidelines, dietary factors associated with heart disease, and food selection and preparation. Each lesson includes research-based curriculum, in-class activities, take home activities, and supplemental handouts to foster multiple learning styles. Evaluation forms for each session and the program overall were included.</p>

<p> The purpose of this grant project is to educate and train leaders within the Orthodox Jewish community to act as culturally sensitive first responders to mental health crises within the Orthodox Jewish community. Mental illness is highly stigmatized among this population. Having trained, trusted, and culturally sensitive community leaders capable of identifying individuals and families in need of mental health services increases the chances that they may use these supports. The proposed leadership training program consists of a series of psycho-educational training groups. The educational emphasis will be on understanding and identifying mental illness, educating leaders about stigma, and approaching community members in need of referrals. The Walter and Elise Hass Foundation is the identified potential funding source. A line-item budget and an evaluation tool are included in the proposed program. The actual submission or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of the project.</p>

<p> This study examines the organizational and contextual factors associated with faculty mentoring programs in academic medicine within major research institutions in the United States, and explores the usefulness of organizational behavior theory in understanding these relationships. To date, many formal faculty mentoring programs are in operation in higher education, yet little is known about why certain practices are favored or thought to be more effective than others, as differentiated from mentoring programs in the business sector. The original conceptual framework of this qualitative multiple cross-case study was based upon faculty mentoring program success factors gleaned from the literature being grouped by one of three perspectives of organizational behavior theory, i.e., structural, political, or symbolic, and examining these variables through the perspective to which they were assigned. Using this approach, very few organizational similarities were found among the twelve faculty mentoring programs in this study. However, by reversing the conceptual framework, and examining each program variable from the three organizational perspectives, six multi-dimensional organizational themes emerged that transcend the program variables: commitment, expectations, responsibility, accountability, community, and transformation. Three of these themes are evident across all organizational perspectives: commitment, expectations, and responsibility. Accountability is evident from a dual structural/political perspective. Community is evident from a dual structural/symbolic perspective. And, transformation is evident from a dual political/ symbolic perspective. Although specific &ldquo;how to&rdquo; advice is limited, this study provides support for a multi-dimensional theoretical framework for academic organizations to optimize formal faculty mentoring relationships. This study demonstrates that maximizing these six dimensions within a faculty mentoring program, to the fullest potential within organizational constraints, provides the ideal faculty mentoring program format for that particular academic culture. This model also situates these six dimensions within an academic culture, which allows faculty development professionals to identify the organizational domains that exert the most influence over these dimensions within their faculty mentoring programs. The redesign of how organizational behavior theory was applied within this study revealed a new organizational understanding of faculty mentoring programs within academic cultures. This discovery provides a promising new direction for further study. </p>

<p> This pre-experimental, participatory action research study investigated the impact of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training on participants' perceived confidence and willingness to initiate CPR. Parents of seventh and eighth grade students were surveyed. Parent participants were asked to watch the American Heart Association's Family and Friend CPR Anytime training DVD. A pretest-posttest design was used to determine the differences in perceived confidence and willingness to initiate CPR before and after CPR training. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics. The analysis of survey responses revealed: (1) Video-based self-instruction CPR training does increase perceived confidence in initiating CPR, (2) Knowing the victim and the presence of body fluid does have an impact on participants' expressed willingness to initiate CPR, and (3) CPR training increased the likelihood that CPR would be initiated in all scenarios with the greatest increase being with victims with body fluids on their face.</p>

<p>College students are at high risk of experiencing serious problems related to physical and social health issues that include binge drinking, sexual assault, and contracting a sexually transmitted disease. Despite research reporting that many of these incidents co-occur on campuses, university prevention programs have failed to present the inter-relatedness of these issues. The current study examined combining three topics into a single prevention strategy; excessive alcohol consumption, coercive sexual behavior related to alcohol, and unsafe sexual practices. This quasi-experimental, quantitative study examined an integrated orientation strategy focusing on changing student behaviors in these domains. The study was conducted at a small, independent campus in Southern California. A total of 1,487 students, ages 18 to 24 years of age, participated in this survey design study. A non-randomized control group consisting of 138 students was used. The model was found to have significant effects, the most salient being that students who received the intervention made less risky decisions than those who did not attend the program. This change was observed in all three behavior domains. Special attention was paid to athletes, members of fraternities and sororities, and LGBT students. For Greek students who received the intervention, alcohol risk decreased significantly. For athletes who received the intervention, scores decreased significantly in regard to alcohol use as it relates to consent. Multiple linear regressions revealed that the intervention was a strong predictor of engaging in less risky behaviors around the use of alcohol and around alcohol as it relates to consent. Recommendations for future research include replication of the present study on small and large campuses, comparison to single model instructional methods, investigation of models that address the needs of LGBT students, and the use of bystander intervention skills within an integrated model. Implications for theory, policy, and practice are presented and discussed emphasizing the need to choose integrated prevention strategies that will address individual campus needs and create a safer community for university students. Given the high rates of all three behaviors, campus administrators are urged to implement and enforce prevention programs and consistent policies. </p>

<p>Critical reflection as a learning tool for nursing supervisors is a complex and multifaceted process not completely understood by healthcare leadership, specifically nurse supervisors. Despite a multitude of research studies on critical reflection, there remains a gap in the literature regarding the perceptions of the individual, the support required in the environment, and stimulus needed to integrate critical reflection into the nurse supervisor role. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the meaning critical reflection has for nurse supervisors and the role of critical reflection within clinical practice settings. The data obtained through a modified vanKaam analysis employing <i>NVivo 9</i> software revealed five themes concerning critical reflection. These five themes include (a) personal experience, (b) sources of valuing critical reflection, (c) self-awareness as primary competency, (d) time is a function of prioritization and (e) framework tools for workplace integration. Critical reflection meaning developed through nurse supervisors&rsquo; past experiences with critical incidents and a willingness to develop their own self-awareness. The role critical reflection plays in the environment can be enhanced through making it a priority in the workplace and providing training necessary to increase understanding of the process. Workplace integration requires developing nurse supervisors&rsquo; facilitation skills. The study findings support the underlying value critical reflection holds as a significant part of supporting organizational transformation toward a learning organization culture. </p>

<p> Lack of fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is directly linked to the prevalence of obesity and chronic disease in the United States. The USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) offers elementary school teachers access to healthy foods as part of the public school classroom experience. The purpose of this study&mdash;which was based on self-efficacy theory and the socio-ecological model&mdash;was to examine if an association exists between selected factors: (a) daily fruit and vegetable consumption, training status in the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), and an established school nutrition policy and (b) nutrition-teaching self-efficacy (NTSE) among elementary school teachers who participated in the FFVP. Using an online survey, 66 teachers out of 114 (58% response rate) completed a 26-question survey adapted from the Nutrition-Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale and the National Cancer Institute's Food Attitude and Behavior Survey. Based on the results of the chi-square test of association (<i>p</i> = 0.031), an association between daily FV intake and NTSE among teachers involved in the USDA FFVP was confirmed. The odds of having high NTSE are 3.45 higher in those who consume more than 3 cups of combined FV each day (<i>p</i> = 0.029). There were no significant associations between NTSE and FFVP training and established school nutrition policy. The social change implication of this study is that healthier, confident teachers build healthier school environments and create the impetus for increasing FV consumption in the community at large, thereby helping to reduce the risk of obesity and chronic diseases.</p>