<p dir="ltr">Nursing, deeply rooted in social justice principles, faces the contemporary imperative of achieving health equity. However, the perception of social justice among nurses, particularly newly graduated registered nurses (NGRNs), remains unclear, posing a significant challenge amid high turnover rates in this population, threatening the realization of health equity goals.</p><p dir="ltr">Through this study, I sought to enhance nursing knowledge by delving into the understanding, cocreation, processing, and response to social justice among NGRNs. Utilizing a constructivist grounded theory methodology, I explore NGRNs’ narratives and perceptions concerning social justice, addressing the research question: How do NGRNs understand, cocreate, process, and respond to social justice in their nursing practice?</p><p dir="ltr">Findings from the grounded theory study reveal seven categories with subsequent subcategories, culminating in the development of a proposed theoretical framework. This framework elucidates four overarching global themes: “Best Care for all, No Matter What,” “Novice Emancipators,” “Making the Human Connection,” and “Supportive Organizational Culture.” I used theoretical modeling to delineate a middle-range theory titled “NGRN Evolving Process of Social Justice Transition.”</p><p dir="ltr">The study’s conclusions have significant implications for nursing education, practice, research, and policy. They highlight the importance of shaping future nursing landscapes through a focus on NGRNs’ social justice transition. Emphasizing the pivotal role of social justice identity in NGRNs’ progression to expert nurses, the study underscores the critical need to foster this identity during NGRNs’ transition period. Implications extend to curriculum structure, onboarding programs, leadership, and policy, aiming to promote person-centered care and health equity. This study marks the inception of a journey towards continual support for NGRNs as advocates for social justice, potentially catalyzing substantial societal change with nursing at the forefront of the pursuit of equity.</p>

<p>  </p> <p>There is a deficiency in scholarly research on higher education service animal policy that has created definitive gaps in how disability service office (DSO) directors approach policy development and how higher education institutions (HEIs) ensure access for service animal handlers. Through a three-paper model, this dissertation addressed the intersection between federal and state civil rights legislation and the leadership qualities needed in developing higher education service animal policies. The first academic law review paper, titled “Service Animals in the Higher Education Environment: How the Law Guides Institutions in Supporting Disabled Student Handlers” laid a foundation for higher education service animal policy through a review of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which is federal civil rights legislation that grants protections and access for students with disabilities using service animals in higher education. The second academic law review paper, titled “State Legislation Regarding Service Animals: Informing Big Ten Higher Education Disability Policy” provided a comprehensive overview of six Midwest state’s service animal legislation and the legal application to higher education policy. The third paper is a qualitative research study, titled “A Big Ten Leadership Approach to Service Animal Policy Development in Higher Education” that explored how Big Ten Academic Alliance HEI DSO directors lead when developing institutional policy related to service animals.</p>