The transition from hospital to home can be complicated, leaving family caregivers in stressful situations that they may not know how to handle. The burden that is placed on these individuals has led researchers to focus on the public health implications of caregiving in hopes of identifying at-risk caregivers. This quantitative analysis identified what relationships exist between caregiver compassion fatigue among family caregivers and training or education received per the Caregiver Advise Record and Enable (CARE) Act and if education influences readmission rates. A purposive sample of 385 family caregivers participated in this study. The Care Transitions Measure (CTM-15), the Caregiver Reaction Scale (CRS), and the LACE (length of stay, acuity of admission, comorbidities, and emergency department visits) index were used to explore the relationship between caregiver education received, caregiver compassion fatigue, and rates of readmission. The results of this study did not support a significant relationship between the education that caregivers receive according to the CARE Act and readmission rates of the care receiver when utilizing the CTM-15 and the LACE index but it did support a relationship between the caregiver's compassion fatigue and the amount of training the caregivers receive from the CARE Act in some areas of the CRS. While research continues to identify flaws in the caregiver transition, the CRS and CTM-15 show a significant relationship in some areas of the CRS, identifying some caregivers are better educated prior to leaving the hospital and with a potential reduction in compassion fatigue.

The study was designed to explore with selected nurses in the employment setting their perspective of the clinical competence of newly graduated nurses as they entered practice. The study had three elements. The initial focus of the study was to examine the readiness of graduates from all preparatory programs to enter hospital practice, addressing, in particular, the clinical competence of the nurse and, therefore, the ability of that nurse to meet the nursing needs of the patient. The second element was to explore the differences, if any, between graduates of Baccalaureate, Associate Degree and Diploma Programs as those differences relate to clinical competence. The third area dealt with the nurturing and socialization of the new graduate in the practice setting and examined the methods employed by the hospital to orient the nurse to the practice setting and provide support and additional education and experience to bring the nurse to the practice level expected. Major findings identified differences in graduates from the three types of nursing programs. Graduates of Baccalaureate programs were described as having a stronger theoretical knowledge base and better critical thinking skills. It was expected the Baccalaureate graduate would become the more competent nurse over time. Graduates of Diploma Programs were reported to have better clinical skills. Associate Degree Program graduates were said to be lacking in both clinical skills and theoretical knowledge. Two factors were mentioned as important in shaping clinical competence. Individual differences which the nurse brings with her are thought to be a significant factor, even more than the program from which the nurse was graduated. Programs, which prepare the same type of graduate, do not always graduate nurses of the same quality. Graduates of all programs were noted as needing extensive support as they began their new role. Concern was expressed by the majority of respondents about the readiness of new graduates to enter the practice setting. Most respondents would like to see the clinical practice component strengthened in the curriculum of all nursing programs. Recommendations for Nursing Education and Nursing Practice and for further study are included.

This dissertation explores the extent to which present day nursing education reflects its tradition-bound subservient roots. The purpose of this study was to identify behavioral phenomena which influence the perpetuation of sex-role socialization from teacher to student in the traditional milieu of nursing education. Using feminist and nursing literature as a theoretical base, the review of the literature revealed a dismal portrait of self perceived inferiority, oppression, and male domination of nurse educators in the academic environment. In contrast, the researcher found nurse educators do not succumb to environmental pressures. They do not conform to the feminine traits as defined in the review of the literature but are enthusiastic, confident, dedicated women who do not perpetuate the monastic military milieu or the rites of initiation in nursing. Nor do they socialize students into the doctor-nurse game or perpetuate the learned feminine traits of submission, passivity, conformity, and dependence. Through in-depth interviews containing 107 open-ended questions, 42 nurse educators in Massachusetts and California described their personal experience with sex-role socialization as a woman, as a student nurse, and as a teacher. Crosstabulation contingency tables compared question responses in cell categories by (1) individual response, (2) state, (3) academic agency, (4) type of nursing program from which they graduated, and (5) type of nursing program within which they are currently teaching. Computation of means, t-tests, and Chi Square demonstrated no significant statistical difference in this nurse educator population for the five categories. The type of school they graduated from or the type of program they are currently teaching do not matter. After maturation, these 42 nurse educators present the same profile of a dynamic, competent, hard-working professional, concerned for the influence she has on students and on the nursing profession. This study has determined that these women are positive role-models and cycle-breakers, encouraging students to be assertive, creative practitioners. This dissertation found that oppressive forces of sex-role socialization are not perpetuated by these 42 nurse educators but by others in the health care system. Implications for further research suggest that other members in the health care system be interviewed to ascertain who is responsible for perpetuating the feminine behaviors encountered in clinical agencies.

Sexual health education (SHE) in Canadian schools is a controversial subject. Thirty years have passed since the government mandated that SHE be taught in Canadian schools, yet the subject still struggles to secure its place in education as curriculum design remains stagnated. In British Columbia, the 2016 - 2018 curriculum update relocated health topics, specifically SHE, to physical education (PE), the subject now known as physical and health education (PHE). To date, little research is available on the implementation of SHE curriculum within Canadian schools. This qualitative case study examined how major stakeholders (district, administration, and teachers) are implementing SHE in one school district within British Columbia. Data collection methods included interviews with district staff, administrative staff and teachers as well as district documentation analysis. Data were analyzed using content comparison. Three resulting themes explicated how the school district utilized components of a top-down implementation approach, identified deficiencies in the sustainability of SHE and factors that supported and hindered the implementation of SHE. Comments from all three stakeholders highlighted the value of SHE delivery in schools but where and how to best intergrade this topic remains unclear. / Graduate

The purpose of this research was to expose the potential deficits that exist in the standard music therapy practice- specifically involving the "Iso Principle." The study also serves to gauge the perceptual views of those who are not familiar with music therapy as they learn the theoretical constructs. A demographic questionnaire and series of statements regarding the Iso Principle were presented to 97 adults both before and after an educational presentation on the use of Iso Principle in Hospice settings. Each participant marked the degree to which they believed the statement to be true in his or her subjective experience on a scaled differential, which was then statistically evaluated. The results were indicated 93.75% of the completed survey responses had an increase in numerical score from pre-test to post-test with 100% of the total post-test responses on the positive side of the differential spectrum. / A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music. / Spring Semester 2016. / April 15, 2016. / Altshuler, Hospice, Iso, Iso principle, Iso rhythmic, Music Therapy / Includes bibliographical references. / Clifford Madsen, Professor Directing Thesis; Jayne Standley, Committee Member; Dianne Gregory, Committee Member.

No description available.

No description available.

Poor childbirth outcomes, and the disparities they highlight, continue to be of great concern in the United States. Birth doulas, professionals who provide support for pregnant people during the perinatal period, have been identified as a way to improve maternity outcomes while combating disparities in birth faced by marginalized groups of people. While existing research supports the positive benefits of doula care, limited research exists on the views and experiences of maternity care teams, specifically the relationship between obstetricians and doulas. This project aimed to explore the views, knowledge, and experiences of both obstetricians and birth doulas in New York City. The data for this study comprised a sample of all obstetricians attending births in Manhattan, New York City (response rate 125 of 220, 57%) and interviews with a purposive sample of 27 experienced birth doulas. The positive themes that emerged centered on the benefits a supportive doula could provide, specifically assistance to people wanting a natural childbirth and those lacking support. Negative themes included the comparatively high cost of a doula as well as unprofessional doula behavior, most notably interfering with medical recommendations and acting out of their scope of practice. Doulas reported that the obstetricians who do value their care are a “self-selecting” group, whereas those who do not tended to be controlling and unknowledgeable regarding the role of a doula. In addition to further exploration into the relationship between obstetricians and doulas, these findings indicate the need for more education in both groups, particularly if the goal is for a cooperative, integrated model of effective maternity care in which doula care is a component.

Obesity remains a public health concern among persons with mental illness resulting from the interaction of a combination of factors such as genetic, medication, effects of their symptoms, social, and environmental factors. Obesity complications account for increased mortality and morbidity, reduced life expectancy, and quality of life in persons with mental illness. The management of obesity is challenging and predicting the ability of mental health professionals to advise patients on weight management behavior is important to improve patients' overall well-being. The social cognitive theory constructs knowledge, expectations, situational perception, self-efficacy, and goal setting were utilized in predicting Weight Management Advice Behavior (WMAB) among psychiatry professionals. WMAB described the ability of professionals to effectively offer advice on managing weight. A cross-sectional study design was used, in which data were collected using a validated instrument. A sample size of 134 was used and the collected data were analyzed using simple and multiple linear regression, logistic regression and MANOVA. Self-efficacy, goal setting, knowledge, and situational perception were found to have a significant association with WMAB individually. Only self-efficacy (p < .001), goal setting (p < .001), knowledge (p < .001), and situational perception (p < .05) were independent predictors of WMAB among psychiatry healthcare professionals. There were significant differences among the professional groups with regards to knowledge, self-efficacy, goal setting, situational perception, and expectations. The study findings will bring about positive social change by informing the advice of professionals, reducing obesity and alleviating its burden among people with mental illness.

In 2013, approximately 232,340 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and an estimated 39,620 women would die as a result of breast cancer. Stage I breast cancer can often be treated, but Stage IV breast cancer presents more difficulties in treatment, as it spreads to the bones, liver, or other areas of the body. Consequently, women with Stage IV breast cancer have very low 18 month and 5-year survival rates. According to some statistics, 79.5% of the United States population claim to be Christian. Much of this segment of the population uses faith to guide most aspects of their lives, including issues pertaining to their health. The purpose of this study was to explore how women integrated faith into their lived experience of combating cancer. This mixed method phenomenological study examined the perceived attributions for survival among a group of 32 breast cancer survivors of various ages and cancer stages in the tristate area of Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Faith related attributions for survival were more commonly reported among women who also reported affiliation to Christianity than women who did not express religious affiliation; however, faith related attributions often also incorporated the restorative effects of standard medical procedures. The implications for positive social change in this study includes the potential inclusion of faith in developing culturally appropriate strategies for treatment and recovery of many illnesses, including cancer.