Capstone & Scholarly Projects: Education & Leadership in Healthcare

AJIRI, Chizaram. (2023). This project investigated employee engagement among remote employees within a behavioral health organization. The project utilized pre- and post-intervention surveys to assess the level of engagement in various subscales, including work environment, open communication, manager support, psychological safety, professional work, teamwork, recognition and feedback, and remote work. To ensure confidentiality, participants created unique identifiers known only to them, enabling the matching of their pre- and post-intervention surveys. The intervention consisted of three virtual social gatherings conducted via Zoom, involving the organization's recruiting, credentialing, and onboarding teams. Each session included dedicated time for employee recognition and engaging activities like trivia and show & tell. Analysis of the paired sample t-tests indicated that matched surveys received (N = 7) did not yield statistically significant results. Although statistical significance was not achieved, the slight positive changes in total scores in work environment, open communication, teamwork, and recognition & feedback suggest that the intervention had some impact on employee engagement. The findings indicate that virtual social gatherings may foster a supportive work environment, enhance communication channels, promote teamwork, and recognize employee efforts. This suggests the importance of continued efforts to improve employee engagement in remote settings, particularly through virtual platforms. Overall, this project provided valuable insights into the dynamics of remote employee engagement and highlighted potential areas for future organizational initiatives.

BROGDON, Jack. (2023).  The purpose of this project was to determine the effect a 14-day certified nurse aide mentorship pilot program had on job satisfaction, perceived communication, and perceived importance and understanding of job tasks. A post-questionnaire, available in English and Spanish, was developed using a five-point Likert scale specifically for the mentorship pilot program. Newly hired, within the prior six months, certified nurse aides (N = 6) participated in the mentorship pilot program and completed the post-questionnaire. Results showed participants scoring the three areas of job satisfaction, perceived communication, and perceived importance and understanding of job tasks as strongly agree or agree. Job satisfaction was scored as strongly agree (99%) and agree (1%), (M = 4.96, SD = 0.102). Perceived communication was scored as strongly agree (97%) and agree (3%), (M = 4.83, SD = 0.408). The final category of perceived importance and understanding of job tasks was scored 100% strongly agree (M = 5, SD = 0). In conclusion, the project provided positive results that a certified nurse aide mentorship pilot program may be effective in job satisfaction, perceived communication, and perceived importance and understanding of job tasks. For sustainability, the project would need to be implemented on a permanent basis to achieve similar results. Further studies may consider a longer study period, larger sample size, pre- and post-questionnaire for both mentees and mentors, measurement of turnover rates amongst mentees, and pre- and post- questionnaire on patient satisfaction. A mentorship program is suggested to spread across all departments at the current location or even other facilities within the organization.

BURGETT, Tom. (2023). Malnutrition among children, as evidenced by the prevalence of childhood anemia, is a significant public health problem in the developing world. This phenomenon is especially pronounced in rural areas of Haiti where children often suffer from food insecurity. A lack of calories, protein, and micronutrients in the diet of Haitian children, aggravated by other factors, commonly leads to childhood anemia. In this doctoral scholarly project (DSP) a school lunch program specifically formulated for children at risk for malnutrition was administered throughout the school year. Hemoglobin levels were measured at the beginning of the school year when the intervention began and at the end of the school year which corresponded with the end of the intervention. The hemoglobin of the children who participated in the study was then measured using a non-invasive method, and the results of this data collection were then analyzed retrospectively by this DSP. The analysis yielded a statistically significant increase in hemoglobin levels with a corresponding reduction in prevalence of childhood anemia. The results suggest that supplementing the calorie, protein, and micronutrient deficiencies encountered by the children is positively correlated to rising hemoglobin levels and decreased instances of childhood anemia. The intervention did not eliminate all instances of anemia or improve the hemoglobin levels in all children, suggesting a multifaceted cause for childhood anemia in this setting. Nonetheless, the results in aggregate suggest that addressing diet deficiencies is an effective way to make a meaningful contribution towards the reduction of anemia in children within this setting.

CUCCINELLO, Maria. (2023). The number of medical errors in the United States is estimated to be as high as 250,000 per year. Nurses play a critical role in patient safety; however, few nursing programs provide educational modules dedicated specifically to the topic. This project sought to explore the suitability and effectiveness of a safety-focused educational intervention for an associate degree nursing (ADN) program. Twenty-two final-semester nursing students from a rural technical college participated in the program. Aggregate results of a pre- and post-intervention survey were compared to measure the effectiveness of the intervention. The survey consisted of two parts: self-reported knowledge of patient safety concepts, and levels of confidence in voicing safety concerns. Each section was analyzed separately. Statistical analysis suggested that the educational intervention resulted in significant gains in both the students’ perceived knowledge of patient safety concepts and their level of comfort in voicing concerns. Results of this project could serve as a template for other ADN programs and support the long and complex journey to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety in the United States.

DESARMES, Toya. (2023). At an urban community center, a week-long science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Urban Agriculture program providing opportunities for learning, growth development and leadership was proposed for youth in kindergarten through seventh grade. The workshop aimed to increase youth skillsets in STEM competencies and interest in STEM fields through experiential learning and sensory activities. Measurement data were captured through pre/post-intervention surveys focusing on STEM engagement/interest, STEM cultural identity, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership skills. Daily module review was conducted to gauge youth engagement and understanding. Demographic data were collected in aggregate form on race, gender, grade, and workshop attendance. A paired t-test was used for comparison of pre/post-intervention survey data to examine the statistical significance of changes in outcomes. The findings indicated statistically significant increases in STEM interest and sense of STEM cultural identity, but not critical thinking, teamwork, or leadership skills. Regression analysis revealed a statistically insignificant relationship between workshop attendance and project outcomes. Overall, this intervention demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of experiential learning through STEM skillset growth and has potential for development of additional out-of-school STEM-related workshops.

ERICKSON, Kassandra. (2023). Medical errors are among the leading causes of death in the United States. Diagnostic errors are highly implicated in malpractice claims, yet clinicians rely heavily on laboratory results. Preanalytical, procedural, interpretation, and reporting errors can contribute to misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment, malpractice, and death. Educational programs for the clinical laboratory sciences have a significant responsibility to prepare their students effectively to perform accurate testing and to mitigate lab-related errors. Enhanced student learning might lead to reductions in errors and improvements in patient care. This study aimed to foster growth mindsets and measure the relationship between growth mindsets and learning in medical laboratory science (MLS) students. The benefits of growth mindsets on learning have been studied in numerous academic settings, including higher education and healthcare education. However, the effectiveness of growth mindset training on student learning among MLS students has yet to be studied. In the current study, pre-intervention mindsets of junior MLS students were assessed using the Undergraduate Lay Theories of Abilities (ULTrA) Survey. A one-hour growth mindset training intervention was held at the beginning of the semester with a follow-up at midterm. Student mindsets were again assessed using the ULTrA Survey at the conclusion of the semester. Learning was evaluated by comparing student grade point averages (GPA) before and after the intervention. Results indicated no statistically significant difference between mindset scores pre- and post-intervention, and no significant correlation between mindset and GPA pre- or post-intervention. Further studies are recommended to study the effects of the intervention across cohorts, assess for correlation between mindset and GPA, and measure for correlation between learning, mindset, and diagnostic errors.

FICHTER, Dawn. (2023). Education of health professionals is a critical component when working to provide high quality, safe, and equitable care to an increasingly diverse patient population. This project focused on utilizing a game as a learning tool. The on campus and online version of the Strategies for Health game was the intervention chosen to support health professionals’ education on social determinants of health and interprofessional collaboration. Data was collected with a ten-question survey on social determinants of health and a nine-question subscale of the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale to assess pre and post knowledge and attitudes. Unfortunately, due to insufficient sample size comparison of the on campus and online games was not possible. Results indicated a statistically significant improvement in knowledge of social determinants of health between the pre and post survey in undergraduate nursing students. All health professionals showed a statistically significant increase in knowledge between pre and post survey on individual question analysis related to identification of the components of social determinants of health. All health professional students disagreed more with the statement that it is not necessary to learn with other health professionals when comparing pre and post survey results. Overall, this study contributes to the body of knowledge on teaching/learning modalities for the education of health care professionals. These findings can contribute to pedagogical approaches and curriculum development working to provide high quality education to prepare students to address the complex needs of clients.

FIOTE, Larissa. (2023). At-risk youths and adults in the disability community experience challenges living self-determined lives due to being marginalized in society for being perceived as incapable individuals who have significant limitations that interfere with their daily function of living. It is believed that e-mentoring programs lead to positive outcomes while increasing self-worth, self-expression, identity, and establishing a foundation for gaining essential life skills to navigate the world with autonomy and purpose. The purpose of the project was to assess the program efficacy of youths and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who were exposed to an e-mentoring program within four weeks. At-risk youths and adults were provided with an enriching online community where they could work towards fulfilling essential life goals and achieve them through support and guidance, which in turn improves their well-being and promotes an increased satisfaction in life. This was done by providing a needs assessment form to the participants to address their concerns, then fulfilling their needs to their goals while working alongside volunteer mentors to achieve them. At the end of the program, the participants had the opportunity to complete a program evaluation to determine the efficacy of the program. It was discovered that the program was effective with the participants being overall satisfied with the development of the intervention. Ninety percent of the participants recommended the program to others due to being included in a supportive and enriching environment that fostered their growth and development.

FOGT, Emma. (2023). Objective: Medical students have limited interactions with Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) and lack knowledge of the RDN role in interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP). Interprofessional education allows medical students to learn about and refer to RDNs and increase knowledge about the RDN role in clinical and community settings. The main objective of this study was to determine whether first-year medical student attitudes and knowledge regarding the RDN role improved after a 30-minute PowerPoint educational intervention.
Methods: Twenty first-year medical students attending an urban university medical school’s culinary medicine interest group were asked to participate in the study. Qualitative data were collected via a 25-question pre-/post-intervention survey asking about perceived attitudes via a 4-point Likert scale, and knowledge was assessed via multiple choice questions. Two qualitative questions were added to the post-intervention survey for program feedback. Data were collected via a Qualtrics XM survey tool, and Microsoft Excel 7.0 was used to analyze for statistical significance.
Results: The intervention produced a statistically significant improvement in medical students’ perceived attitudes about the RDN role (t (21) = 10.5, p < 0.001), and knowledge of the RDN role (t (21) = 2.04, p < 0.05).
Conclusions: First-year medical student attitudes and knowledge demonstrated statistically significant increases after the educational intervention on the RDN role. These results indicate recognition of value within clinical and community environments, nutrition referral systems, access to Medical Nutrition Therapy supported ICPC, and optimized, team-based patient care.

GIBSON, Shane. (2023). The retention of employees is an extremely important topic for businesses everywhere. In the post-COVID era, people are settling back down after traveling and/or having taken contracts to work at various agencies. Keeping good employees in the medical field is not only cost effective for the bottom line, but it has proven to positively affect patient outcomes. Therefore, it would be strategic for business managers to find ways to retain good employees and prevent them from seeking other opportunities.
Mentoring has been shown to be effective in reducing turnover in the nursing field. The purpose of this project was to examine the impact of a mentoring program on the retention of nursing staff within their first 30 days of hire at a correctional facility. The goal was to investigate if a mentoring program had a positive influence on retention of newly hired workers. Mentoring would take place inside and outside of the facility to provide the mentees with resources and support to gain confidence in their job performance to prevent them from leaving the company. Participants were given a five question Likert scale questionnaire after the thirty days was over to assess if they felt the mentoring program influenced them to stay with the company. There was a 100% retention rate of the participants in the project. Question three (Mentoring experience made me feel more committed to the organization had the lowest score M = 2.7) indicating a neutral response. All other questions results were agree or strongly agree (M > 3) to the mentoring program having a positive impact on their employment. This project can have significant implications for correctional healthcare agencies that struggle to retain employees. The addition of a mentoring program could yield the same results and benefit the agency, the employees, and the patients.

GRIFFITH, Jonathan. (2023). Clinical education is vital in the success of healthcare education. However, many preceptors who train students at clinical sites have received no training on how to teach healthcare students. The purpose of this project was to evaluate how an educational intervention would affect the level of perception of benefits and rewards, preceptor support, and commitment to the preceptor role in medical imaging staff involved in clinical education. The 60-minute interactive in-person educational presentation focused on communication skills, benefits of precepting, awareness of staff and student roles, clinical support, approaches to effective instructional strategies, teaching/learning styles, clinical education scenarios and examples. Data was collected by pre- and post- questionnaires which included the Preceptor's Perception of Benefits and Rewards Scale, Preceptor's Perception of Support Scale, and Commitment to the Preceptor Role Scale. Results indicated a significant difference in perception of support (p = 0.002) and commitment to the preceptor role (p= 0.030) subscales. Although not significant, the perception of benefits and rewards also improved (p = 0.051). Results provided important information on how perception of support and commitment to the preceptor role are related to perception of benefits and rewards. The findings provided the organization with an understanding of the importance for supporting preceptors and what they perceived support entailed. Details on what influenced and had driven commitment were demonstrated through adjustments in perception of support, and benefits and rewards.

HALL, David. (2023). The task of educating Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers requires that EMS instructors possess translatable knowledge and skills. Translatable knowledge is passed from EMS instructor to EMS student during learning experiences in the classroom, lab, and practicum settings. Insufficiently prepared or new EMS instructors typically lack translatable knowledge and skills, which may be beneficial in training EMS students. The project developed, implemented, and assessed learning gains in a state-level EMS instructor core training program, focusing on learning gains in translatable knowledge and skills. Prior to the project, no course or training program in the respective Southern state chosen for the study offered opportunities for developing translatable knowledge and skills for use by EMS instructors. The project’s design followed a revised Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) model and utilized a standardized tool in gathering and analyzing post-intervention survey data. The PICO(T) question was the following: For EMS instructors, does taking a state-level EMS instructor core training program develop translatable knowledge and skills for use in the classroom, lab, and practicum settings? The results were statistically significant, with a cumulative average perceived learning gain across all survey questions of “great gain” (M = 4.08, SD = 1.15) and average ratings of “moderate gain” or greater on each individual survey question. The results support dialogue between officials and stakeholders regarding the development and implementation of an official state EMS instructor core training program modeled on the project.

HUMPHREY, Katherine. (2023). Occupational therapists noted that patients were frequently not receiving toothbrushes at the study hospital within the first 24 hours of hospitalization. With no toothbrush, patients were not receiving adequate oral cares. Oral hygiene is a modifiable risk factor for non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP). Nursing education, visual reminders, use of an oral care protocol, and improved oral care tools are associated with a reduction in NV-HAP. The purpose of this project was to implement an education campaign for nursing staff combined with provision of ADA-complaint toothbrushes and visual reminders on an Acute Care for the Elderly unit in order to increase the frequency of oral cares, use of toothbrush during provision of oral cares, as well as nursing knowledge of, perceived value of, and confidence providing oral cares for hospitalized patients. The quality improvement pilot was completed over a two-week period, with nursing education sessions completed over a four-day period immediately prior. Nursing staff members completed the pre-education survey (N = 10) and the post-quality improvement survey (N = 8). A significant improvement was reported in knowledge t(16) = -3.34, p = .004, with no significant difference in perceived value t(16) = -0.46, p = 0.65 or confidence t(16) = -1.69, p = 0.112. Electronic Medical Record reports, pre education and post quality improvement pilot, indicated a significant increase in both frequency of oral cares X2(1), = 102.81, p = < 0.001 and frequency of use of a toothbrush X2 = 6.0813, p = 0.134. Findings may contribute to hospital-wide oral care policy and procedure change, provision of improved oral care tools for patient use at the intervention hospital, and improved patient outcomes.

KORT, Sarah. (2023). The purpose of this project is to determine the effect of the Keener Mobile app on college nursing faculty’s compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress over a four-week period. Participants (N = 2) engaged with the Keener app, a free downloadable self-care mobile application for nurses, three times per week for four weeks. Compassion satisfaction, burnout and post-traumatic stress levels were measured pre and post intervention via the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL 5) survey. Results indicated an improvement in all three subscale measurements with an increase in compassion satisfaction (M = 3, SD = 1.41), decrease in burnout (M = -1.5, SD = 0.71), and decrease in post-traumatic stress (M = -10, SD = 8.49). Due to the small sample size, inferences could not be made. However, the positive results in all subscales hint that this intervention may be worthy of a study with a larger sample.

MASON, Jennifer. (2023). Online discussions are a highly recommended activity for scholarly dialogue in graduate- and doctorate-level programs and yet are a challenging learning activity to design well and provide value for the learner. Utility or functional value is of the utmost importance for the adult learner; coursework, including online discussions, should be professionally relevant. The purpose of this study was to discern whether small-group discussion design with discussion prompts aligned to adult learning theory principles impact professional doctoral students’ engagement, grades, and perceived peer-to-peer learning and utility value in discussion activities within an online course in the Education and Leadership in Healthcare program at a Midwestern college. Post-intervention response rates were too low to explore statistical significance; however, participants did perceive an increase in learning and utility value in the discussion prompts. Small-group discussion design had no impact on discussion engagement or grades. Despite these results, best practice maintains that adult learning theory should be used as a framework to create assignments and improve learning and utility value for the adult scholar.

MCKINNON, Matthew. (2023). Introduction. Healthcare systems must be prepared with a coordinated response to safely provide care to victims of Mass Casualty Incidents. Even though the specific nature of MCIs may be unpredictable, education and training will enable hospital personnel to navigate these situations confidently and efficiently. Problem. Health systems are challenged by understaffing and overcrowding that make the allotment of time to train difficult. Identifying ways to train personnel in this environment requires creative solutions. This study seeks to answer the following question: “In nursing students, will team-based simulation training improve the student’s perception of their preparation for an MCI response when evaluated after 30 days.” Intervention. A cohort of volunteer nursing students participated in a training program for MCI response. Using a knowledge to action framework, this study included three online training modules followed by eight hours of didactic and simulation training in several areas of MCI response including incident command, triage and medical care, and decontamination. Measures. The learners’ changes in perception from before to after the educational program were assessed using nineteen questions, which pertained directly to hospital readiness, that were excerpted from the disaster preparedness evaluation tool. Results. A paired-samples t-test was calculated to compare the mean pre-survey score to the mean post-survey score. There was a significant difference from pre-survey (M = 55.8, SD = 14.41) to post-survey (M = 80.4, SD = 7.5) scores, t(4) = -6.76, p = < .001. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the training of student nurses in mass casualty operations increased their perceptions of preparedness in responding to a mass casualty incident. The mean increase from the pre-survey to the post-survey demonstrated increased perception of readiness in all participants.

MUTTERER, Erik. (2023). Educational studies have found the current dental health knowledge of students in a nursing program to be lacking. Could an online oral health guidance module add value, create a positive impact, and be feasible if executed? This project was designed and implemented to examine this very question by evaluating the current confidence levels in dental knowledge for a cohort of students enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Evaluation of current curriculum was completed and an oral health guidance module was developed by the lead investigator to address general oral assessment skills, the ability to identify common oral pathology signs of decay and periodontal disease, signs and symptoms of xerostomia along with products to treat this condition, as well as how and when to refer. The oral health guidance module consisted of an hour-long Zoom presentation with content focusing on the above listed topics in a patient population base ranging from pediatric through geriatric. Two measures were utilized and compared for this project: a pre-intervention and a post-intervention 5 item Likert scale survey, delivered on Microsoft Forms. The intended outcome of the survey was to observe if an increase in the students’ confidence level occurred in the recognition of oral health needs of their patients, and whether or not they felt the intervention had a positive impact on their education. After the presentation of the interprofessional oral health guidance module, a two-sample unpaired t-test was performed, showing the difference was statistically significant at 95% CI, with p = .03. The online oral health educational module offered through this project demonstrated a positive impact in improving nursing students’ knowledge of dental health needs and increasing confidence in identifying, treating, or referring their patients. Future studies are needed to further examine the impact and need for educational courses in oral health for nursing students.

PHELPS, Shantell. (2023).Minorities have traditionally been underrepresented in the healthcare field. Underrepresented minorities (URMs) are routinely confronted with barriers to their academic knowledge, pursuit, and acquisition of a healthcare career. The URM barriers, which are a combination of historical and systematic disparities, are routinely unsurmountable and evident early in student’s academic pursuits. The study aimed to provide guidance and support from experienced professionals serving as mentors to minimize URMs barriers to assist students in achieving a post-secondary degree in the healthcare field. The steady increase in the human population, the advancements in medicine, along with the current state of the semi-post pandemic world, has exacerbated the need minority representation in the healthcare field. The study sought to alleviate the disparity of minority healthcare representation by mentoring high school students to proactively surmount barriers. Mentors provided a discussion platform to demonstrate post-secondary achievement and to resolve misconceptions in attaining a healthcare degree or certification. Mentees completed a post-mentoring survey and survey responses were analyzed to determine mentoring effectiveness. The study determined that representation increased URMs personal motivation and sense of belonging in the healthcare field. The study also revealed that the URM mentee students need further guidance to increase likelihood of them applying to universities or colleges where they felt they would not gain acceptance.

ROBERTSON, Quintina. (2023). A mindfulness-based intervention to reduce work-related stress was implemented at a mental health nonprofit over the course of four weeks. Eleven mental health counselors working remotely at the nonprofit participated in the intervention. The behavioral health clinicians provided immediate phone-based behavioral health services at the nonprofit’s crisis hotline center which operated 24/7, 365 days of the year. Each workday for the duration of the intervention, each participant utilized mindfulness practices aimed at reducing stress for 15 minutes. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used to measure each employee’s stress level before and after the intervention. The mean difference between the post-intervention PSS-10 scores and the pre-intervention PSS-10 was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the mindfulness-based intervention. There mean decrease in the PSS-10 scores was large and statistically significant levels (M = -2.45, SD = 2.21, t(10) = -3.69, p = 0.004, d = -1.11, 95% CI [-0.97, -3..94]). Improved physical and mental health were the primary benefits to employees from the reduction in work-related stress, and reductions in stress-related productivity costs were the primary benefit to the employer from the reduction in work-related stress.

SAK, Holly. (2023). Background: Academic nursing institutions are challenged to advocate for hiring and evaluation practices that foster inclusion and diversity. Trends depict decreasing availability of professors credentialed with a PhD and a steady influx of clinically trained DNP and varied doctoral scientists. Agency rank and tenure-track policies are under scrutiny as lacking inclusion and equity alignment to divergent frameworks present in the faculty workforce. Purpose: This research assessed how track status and terminal degree affect role strain and job satisfaction among nursing faculty. The secondary objective integrated policy analysis methodology to propose rank and tenure recommendations that promote scholarship diversity and workforce retention. Methods: Role strain was assessed surveying faculty (n=35) from a midwestern private college using Mobily’s Role Strain Scale (RSS). A research review team used the CDC Policy Analytical Framework to compare tenure policies and propose evidence-based strategies for enhancing academically diverse scholarship promotion standards. Results: Of the five (role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, role incongruity, role incompetence) subscales assessed, differences between research-oriented and clinically-oriented faculty were found for role incongruity (t(17) = 3.226, p = .005) and role ambiguity (t(17) = 2.919, p = .010). Policies that incorporate sample teaching criteria or criteria checklists stratified for faculty offer multi-track equitable pathways. Policies maximizing population health reach offer academically inclusive criteria for promotion, list applicable teaching standards for clinical-focused and research-focused tracks and integrate multimodal forms of scholarship. Improved scholarship diversity is warranted on rank and tenure boards to better recruit, evaluate, and retain diverse faculty. Conclusion: Colleges of nursing are pioneering quality improvements for tenure policy guidelines using a Boyerian lens, streamlining scholarship and promotion stratified for clinical and research faculty. Evidence-informed faculty promotion policies systematically promote occupational health equity.

SCHNEIDER, Erin. (2023). This project examined the relationship between the enactment of behavioral health workforce legislation and the number of behavioral health professionals in four states (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska). State legislative websites were used to capture the legislation enacted in each of the states and data on the population-to-behavioral health provider ratio were used for the analysis. Overall, there were five statutes enacted addressing the behavioral health workforce. A regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between behavioral health workforce statutes enacted and the population-to-behavioral health provider ratio, however, the project provides an initial strategy for examining this topic in the future.

SCULLY, Brittany. (2023). A Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at a private university in the Midwest self-identified the need for a curriculum revision to align with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) updated Essential Core Competency’s for Nursing Education. To assist in this process this doctoral scholarly project included the rewriting of Student Learning Objectives aligning with the 2021 BSN Essential Core Competencies, conducting an environmental scan of BSN programs using a 2 + 2 or a 5-semester BSN curriculum model, and the creation of a template course to determine if nursing faculty and students had an increase in perceived knowledge and buy-in to population health topics. A pre and post survey was completed by participants that included 12 questions in a four-point Likert scale in Qualtrics. The p was set to ≤ .05 to reject the null hypothesis for one-tailed t test to indicate significance. A one-tail t test was conducted to determine if null hypotheses could be rejected. The result of perceived knowledge of the one-tailed test was p = .0003. The result of buy-in of the one-tailed test was p = .03. An increase in knowledge and buy-in was seen by participants after analysis of pre and post survey data was completed. These results show that further information on population health topics and curriculum revision is needed at the BSN level to ensure alignment with the 2021 AACN Essential Core Competencies.

SMITH, Travis. (2023). Many people in the United States are afflicted by mental illness. Criminal investigators in the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) often interact with individuals experiencing mental health issues. Although they complete extensive training, most do not receive training in how to effectively manage someone dealing with a mental health situation during an investigation. The purpose of this doctoral scholarly project was to determine the affect a mental health training had on DOD criminal investigators’ confidence in their ability to effectively manage individuals dealing with mental health issues during investigative situations. Respondents who participated in the two-hour training completed pre- and post-intervention surveys. Results indicated statistically significant improvements in the ability to identify behaviors associated with mental illness (p = 0.009), ability to determine and implement the best course of action (p = 0.009), ability to de-escalate or progress a situation (p = 0.023), and ability to make necessary referrals (p = 0.045). Based on these findings, it would be beneficial to incorporate similar education and training in the future within more DOD agencies, and other federal agencies more broadly, to improve the confidence for criminal investigators in the performance of their official duties.

THOUSAND, Raven. (2023). Individuals with behavioral health needs are trapped in the criminal justice system and may be better served through behavioral health systems of care and rehabilitation. Belief systems around what offender accountability and justice means, the image of justice to the community, and stakeholders’ public stance on crime prevention can greatly affect the support of a behavioral health criminal diversion program. To address these challenges, this project aimed to determine if a behavioral health educational presentation would increase stakeholders’ knowledge and confidence in supporting a behavioral health criminal diversion program. Nine individuals attended the educational presentation and completed a pre and post-survey (N = 9). Paired sample t-tests were conducted to compare pre- and post-survey responses for changes in knowledge and confidence. There was a significant difference between the pre (M = .38, SD= .49) and post (M = .91, SD = .29) knowledge; t(8) = 9.238, p = < .001. A significant difference was also seen between pre (M = 2.53, SD = .70) and post (M = 3.31, SD = .62) confidence; t(8) = 5.776, p = < .001. Findings show that a collaborative and interactive educational presentation led to a statistically significant increase in both knowledge and confidence scores of elite stakeholders. These results indicate the potential to build confidence in supporting other initiatives that move communities to restorative models of care, geared toward behavioral health awareness, recovery, and equity while upholding communities’ behavioral health and public safety needs.

TOWNSEND, Christine. (2023). The Commission on Cancer Survivorship Program supports interdisciplinary approaches to cancer care beyond medical treatment, including psychosocial support (e.g., mind, body, spiritual, and cultural). This project investigated how participating in at least one psychosocial intervention improved the quality of life following a female gynecological oncological diagnosis at a Midwest cancer hospital outpatient clinic. This project investigated whether implementing a psychosocial distress tool, sending referrals, and implementing interventions would improve the quality of life among females with gynecological oncological diagnoses. During the implementation of the intervention, 206 surveys were offered, and N = 118 were completed in 28 days. A total of 234 psychosocial interventions were reported to be utilized. Applying the analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistics to the survey indicated that more use of psychosocial interventions did improve their quality of life (p < .001). The themes that emerged from the thematic analysis of qualitative responses were compassion and caring, navigation and guidance, expanding resources, active listening, curing cancer, and no need for services. The statistical results implied a positive correlation suggesting participating in at least one psychosocial intervention might improve the quality of life for females with a gynecological oncological diagnosis.

VAN WINKLE, Mary. (2023). History has recorded many injustices to people of color in the United States, including Indigenous people. This population was forced to assimilate, causing them to abandon both their native language and culture. The high school graduation rates for American Indian/Alaska Native students are very concerning, remaining the lowest in the United States, with only 74% graduating in 2018-2019. Meanwhile, there is clear scholarly evidence demonstrating that the incorporation of Indigenous students’ language and culture had a positive impact on their academic performance. The purpose of this project was to determine if a culturally rich learning environment provided to Indigenous elementary students, including daily exposure to their native language through lessons and usage, would have a positive effect on participating students' self-perception of academic competence, social competence, athletic competence, physical appearance, and behavioral conduct after 30 days. Indigenous elementary students participated in the project (N = 35). The results indicate a significant change in all subscales following the intervention. Findings imply that incorporating the Indigenous culture and language within the classroom and school can positively impact the student's self-perception of academic, social, and athletic competence, physical appearance, and behavioral conduct.

VENTOLA, Gary. (2023). COVID-19 impacted almost every organization around the world starting in late 2019 and into 2020. The
impact was felt across all age categories and all industries but none more than the healthcare industry. The purpose of this project was to examine one senior living community organizations’ COVID-19 policy
and survey their executive team to score how their COVID-19 policy performs against 11 topic-specific survey questions. Each survey question had to receive a mean score of 4.0 or better on a scale of 1-5. If
any of the 11 survey questions had a mean score below 4.0, the policy could be considered inadequate and revisions to the policy would be recommended. The results showed that no survey question had a
mean below 4.0, thus the current COVID-19 policy that is in place meets the all the requirements set forth in this project. Even though the current COVID-19 policy successfully scored 4.0 or better on all 11
survey questions, this senior living community organization should continue to survey their COVID-19 policy to affirm that the policy is still meeting the survey requirements.

VILLARREAL, Kristen. (2023). This doctoral scholarly project aimed to address the problem of nursing students experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety during nursing school. Stress and anxiety can impact students’ health, ability to care for others, and their academic performance. The intervention was a peer mentoring program that took place over six weeks at a private health care college in the Midwest. Levels of stress and anxiety were measured before and after the intervention, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) tool. Results indicated that participants were experiencing levels of stress and anxiety at the time of the surveys. It was inconclusive if the peer mentoring intervention had an impact on the outcomes due to low participation. Implications for future research include increasing participation through adjustment in the timing of recruitment and timeframe of the mentoring program, as well as using measurement tools more specific to education-based stress and situational anxiety.

WILLIS, Tiara. (2023). The purpose of this project was to determine the effects of watching a breast health equity video on the knowledge of breast cancer: mortality and morbidity risks, disparities and survivorship, and strategies for risk reduction; and intention to perform screenings in Black women. The project took place in a large metropolitan area utilizing black women from a local chapter health committee of a National Pan-Hellenic Sorority. The intervention included participants reviewing a breast health equity video and completing pre- and post- surveys to evaluate their knowledge of breast cancer and their intention to perform breast cancer screenings. The approximately 18-minute online video was a discussion, facilitated by a physician, with Black women regarding breast health. Topics discussed in the video included breast cancer morbidity and mortality statistics, disparities and survivorship, strategies to reduce risks, screening recommendations, resources for free screenings, and potential reasons women may not perform screenings. The 15-question pre/post survey included 10 questions that measured knowledge and five that measured intent to perform breast cancer screenings. Results indicated that participants’ (N = 6) scores increased in knowledge of morbidity and mortality rates by 31%, disparities and survivorship by 9%, and strategies for risk reduction by 17%. There was no change in intention to perform screenings as all participants indicated pre and post that they definitely intended to perform all screenings (M = 14, SD = 2.31). Recommendations for future research in this topic include a larger sample size, tracking screening rates before and after the intervention, and implementing the intervention with low-income black women. Additionally, this intervention may lend itself well to a longitudinal study comparing incidence rates, stage of diagnosis, and mortality rates for those completing the intervention against those who did not complete the intervention.

WOLF, Ryan. (2023). The increasing use of social media (SM) and mobile technology has brought both benefits and negative impacts to individuals. While SM helps improve communication and connectivity, its addictive properties and the overuse of technology have led to emotional and mental health complications such as anxiety, depression, addiction, poor sleep quality, and burnout. To address these issues, interventions are needed to improve SM utilization and technology hygiene. The goal of this project was to identify the effect of a social media intervention on wellbeing of adult professionals. The available knowledge highlights the need for such interventions, as well as the challenges of regulating SM companies and the nuanced experiences of the online environment. Seventy participants limited SM use to 30 minutes per day or less for a week and submitted a 12-question pre- and post-intervention survey to evaluate changes in wellbeing. The specific wellbeing measures were evaluative wellbeing (which includes current and projected wellbeing), and experienced wellbeing (which includes positive and negative emotions). Findings indicated there was statistically significant improvement in wellbeing overall. Specifically, current wellbeing and positive emotions experienced the greatest degree of improvement.

WOODWARD, Trevor. (2023). A mentorship network comprising faculty of various experience levels is a valuable strategy to foster professional development and ease the transition from clinical practice to academia. In this project, a book club was used as a model for a mentorship network among faculty in an academic nursing setting. Weekly book club sessions were used to meet as a group to discuss previously assigned reading material on topics affecting teaching in higher education. Participants were surveyed before and after the seven-week doctoral scholarly project. The qualitative and quantitative data showed overall increased feelings of organizational belonging, growth in mentor relationships, and prolonged retention plans.