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The Lived Experience of a Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor
Get PDF[iii], 168 leaves. Advisor: Sandra Sellers.Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) has progressed
from an experimental therapy to a viable treatment for cancer. While the prospects for long-term survival following the procedure has increased, little is known about the quality of this survival. The present study was intended to explore the thoughts, perceptions and feelings of one BMT survivor regarding his/her lived experience with the BMT procedure.
The following questions were developed for the
study: (1) What thoughts, perceptions and feelings does a BMT survivor have regarding the lived experience of the BMT procedure? (2) How does a BMT survivor perceive the BMT procedure has affected his/her quality of life? (3) What interventions and support measures would a EMT
survivor recommend to health care professionals to
enhance the care received? A qualitative case study design was employed to investigate the lived experience of one BMT survivor. This case study was an in-depth investigation of a single individual over time.
The BMT survivor for this study was a 37 year old,
white, married male. His original diagnosis was in 1990 of duodenum cancer. Then in 1931 he was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma and underwent BMT in the summer of 1992. The data collection instrument utilized in this study assisted in obtaining descriptive information from five,
one-hour, face-to-face focused taped interviews. Through taped interviews, the researcher and subject explored aspects of the BMT experience that were important to the subject and the researcher attempted to discover patterns
and conceptual themes to understand the BMT situation as lived or experienced by the subject.
The conceptual themes that were evaluated from this study were spiritual, psychological, physiological and social. The themes emphasized thoughts and feelings about hope, positive attitude, a philosophy for living, control, stress, fear, returning to normal, desire for
knowledge, side effects, nutrition, body image, roles and relationships, isolation, social connection and intimacy.
Based on the findings of this study major implications for advanced nursing practice include providing relevant client information, establishment of a relationship with health care professionals that promotes a caring and sincere interest, participation in decision making and
the implementation of knowledgeable interventions for managing physical changes
How Does Heterogeneous Ability Grouping and Homogeneous Ability Grouping Compare in Academic Growth and in Building Self-Esteem?
No full text[i], 55 leaves. Advisor: Ed DucharmeIn the last few years, educators have questioned the concept of ability grouping. While many schools are still using homogeneous ability grouping of students believing that this is the best way for students to learn and the best way to teach, today there are present challenges to this concept. Educators are re-examining their ideas. Research is beginning to say something else.
In this thesis I will research the question, "How
does heterogeneous ability grouping and homogeneous ability grouping affect academic growth and build self-esteem?" This question has surfaced frequently in a number of the schools in the Diocese of Des Moines. Research is needed to
determine the direction our schools should be taking on this matter in the future. The review of literature in this area will include a research that began in 1929 with T. L. Purdom and continues today with R. E. Slavin (1987). An ERIC search for pertinent information and a follow up of articles
through the bibliographies will be very helpful.
When the research on this question is complete, it
may also benefit many of the surrounding area school districts who may also be struggling with this issue of ability grouping
Inhibitory Effects of Ketoconazole on the Oxidation of Linoleic Acid Micelles, Phospholipid Liposomes, and Human Low Density Lipoprotein (h-LDL)
Get PDF36 leavesSoybean lipoxygenase (SLO) (500-5000 units/ml), Fe(III)Cl3/ascorbate (5-100microM)
and hematin (5-100microM) induced oxidative modification of lipids present in micelles of
linoleic acid (0.5 mM), liposomes prepared from phospholipid extracts of bovine brain (2.5
mg/ml), and h-LDL (0.5 mg/ml). Oxidation of the lipid substrates was determined by the
formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and conjugated dienes. Free iron
(Fe(III)Cl3/ascorbate) was the strongest initiator, followed by hematin and SLO.
Ketoconazole (KC) attenuated lipid oxidation in a concentration dependent manner at
pharmacologically relevant levels (25-100microM) in all three substrates. Pretreatment of liposomes and h-LDL with KC produced greater attenuation of lipid oxidation by the various initiators in comparison to free KC
Instructional Management and its Relationship to the Context of the School and Characteristics of the Principal
Get PDF130, [6] leaves. Advisor: Michael J. JohnsonThe influence of the principal on the instructional program has been a consistent theme throughout effective schools research. The purpose of this study was to examine the principalship and
various factors that may affect instructional management behavior. The following have been identified as factors that may affect principal behavior: school size, socioeconomic status of students, gender of the principal, and administrative experience. The study examined the degree to which each variable was associated with
instructional management behavior. The research design was a correlational study using a survey
methodology. A total of forty-four (N=44) schools and 343 teachers participated in the study. Instructional staff members were asked to rate their perception of the frequency with which principals engaged in specific instructional management practices. Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationships
between instructional management behavior and school size, socioeconomic status of students, gender of the principal, and administrative
experience. When the rating scale composite scores were examined, administrative experience was the only variable that was statistically significant. Of the ten subscales included in the rating scale,
eight were found to be statistically significant in relation to administrative experience. Eight of the ten subscale scores and composite scores revealed inverse relationships between instructional management behavior and administrative experience. The study concluded that, as administrative experience increases, the
frequency with which principals engage in specific instructional management practices appears to decrease
A Wholistic Model of Cancer Care for Nursing Practice
Get PDF90 leavesNursing today is affected by challenges to the
beliefs and values underlying the delivery of health care services. Though nursing theory development, nursing has embraced a new paradigm in which the scientific medical model is being replaced by a model based on the concept of wholism. Key ideas representing a wholistic paradigm of health appear with
increasing frequency in the nursing literature,
demonstrating the diffusion of a new and different perspective of the practice of nursing. The purpose of this study was to develop a wholistic model of cancer care for nursing practice. The theoretical foundation for the model was derived largely from the nursing theory proposed by Margaret Newman, crisis theory and cancer nursing theory. Case
studies from oncology nursing practice also were used in the development of the model.
The wholistic model of cancer care for nursing
practice developed embraces the new emerging nursing paradigm that redefines health to include a broader definition that allows the person with cancer to enter the health care system in a new way, as an equal partner, and to convert the cancer experience into a positive growth process. The wholistic model incorporates nursing's metaparadigm concepts of nursing, person, environment and health as well as the additional concepts of hope,
wholism, movement, transformation and disorder. The focus is on the whole person that includes the cancer and views the patterns of interaction of the person and
environment as the path to health. A health within illness perspective has implications for advanced clinical nursing practice.
This model adds to the advancement of nursing theory development and nursing philosophy by considering illness as an opportunity for awareness and growth. It also shifts the focus of health care from fighting the enemy of illness to learning about oneself through the
illness experience. The model also has implications for nursing practice, education and administration
A Content Analysis of the Basic Communication Skills of Beginning-Level Nursing Students
No full text199 leavesThe purpose of this study was to describe the communication patterns of beginning-level nursing students. The study was based on
Watson's Model for Helping Relationships (1979) which gives direction to nurses as they respond to requests for either action, information, understanding and involvement or inappropriate requests. The Framework for Analysis, developed for this study, was derived from Watson's model and identified three major categories of therapeutic communication responses- -attending, listening and exploring. It also delineated specific communication barriers and provided parameters
for evaluating students' overall communication patterns.
Two major research questions were posed for the study with specific subquestions for each. The two research questions were:
1. Following classroom content regarding nurse-client relationships and therapeutic communication, how do beginning-level nursing students respond to requests for understanding and involvement? 2. Following classroom content regarding nurse-client relationships and therapeutic communication, how do beginning-level nursing students evaluate their own communication? The research questions were analyzed using a qualitative design that applied content analysis to the interpersonal process recordings (IPRs) written by 78 beginning-level associate degree and diploma nursing students. Students were asked to document interactions in which people had specifically requested understanding and involvement. Each student response on the IPRs was coded according to predetermined response categories delineated in the Framework for Analysis. The overall findings of this study suggest that beginning-level nursing students demonstrate an initial understanding of therapeutic communication. The majority (87.2%) of students recorded interactions in which the person to whom they were interacting clearly had a desire for understanding and involvement. Many of the responses that students used in responding to these requests were helpful and encouraged the persons with whom they were interacting to share their thoughts, feelings and ideas. The use of communication barriers, however, also was common. Of the 78 IPRs analyzed, 76 contained at least one communication barrier. Overall, at least 35% of the students' responses impeded the communication process. A significant number of students recorded few (23.1%) or no (15.4%) nonverbal behaviors. Students generally recognized their responses correctly as either therapeutic or communication barriers. The majority of students (61.5%), however, incorrectly identified at least one response. Self-understanding varied considerable among the beginning-level nursing students. This study has contributed to nursing theory development by giving specificity to one aspect of Watson's Model for Helping Relationships. The taxonomy proposed by the Framework for Analysis can facilitate needed communication research. The study also provides important baseline information about the communication patterns of beginning-level nursing students that can guide nurse educators as they design curricula and educational strategies to meet the communication learning needs of nursing students
The Relationship Among Test Anxiety, Academic Achievement, and Age in Associate Degree Nursing Students
Get PDFiv, 81 leaves. Advisor: Sandra L. SellersThe purpose of this study was to examine the
relationship among test anxiety, academic achievement and age in Associate Degree Nursing students. To test the relationship among the variables, two hypotheses were posed.
Employing a descriptive research design, data were
collected through the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI)
(Spielberger, et al., 1980) and compared to the final course grades and ages of 107 first term, second year ADN students. Data were analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics, the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, and the ANOVA. The alpha level was set at 0.05.
The findings of this study revealed that as test
anxiety increased, academic achievement (course grade)of the ADN students significantly decreased (r = -0.31, p < .05). No significant relationship between age and test anxiety in the ADN students was found (p = 0.635).
Recommendations for further research include early
test anxiety assessment with interventions and follow-up test anxiety testing. Research that targets older students by specific ages may more clearly address age-related test anxiety influences
Personality Traits that Nursing Faculty Believe are Necessary for Their Graduates
Get PDFv, 107 leaves. Advisor: Barbara HaagThe problem. The purpose of this study was to
investigate personality traits that faculty members of different registered nursing education programs believe are necessary for their graduates.
Procedure: One hundred twenty three nursing
faculty members of diploma, associate degree, and
baccalaureate nursing education programs in the state of Iowa ranked 20 personality traits by completing the Desirability of Personality Traits of Registered Nurses Questionnaire. The subjects also completed a demographic data questionnaire designed by the researcher.
Findings: All faculty members ranked understanding as number one, abasement number 19, and aggression number 20. Significant differences existed between baccalaureate faculty members who ranked change
higher than associate degree faculty members, associate degree faculty members who ranked cognitive structure and order higher than baccalaureate faculty members, and diploma faculty members who ranked endurance higher than baccalaureate faculty members, Significant differences also existed for change when faculty
members were categorized by age groupings; for
cognitive structure and impulsivity when faculty
members were categorized by highest level of nursing education; and for endurance, harmavoidance, nurturance, order, and aggression when faculty members were categorized by part-time or full-time status.
Conclusions. Faculty members of the three types
of nursing education programs rank the importance of personality traits differently for their graduates.
Recommendations: Examples of recommendation for
further research include: a replication of this study including male subjects and an investigation
correlating how students rank the personality traits as compared to how faculty members rank them
Nurse Manager and Staff Nurse Perceptions of Selected Competencies Related to the Nurse Manager Role
No full textvii, 89 leaves. Advisor: Mary C. Hansen.The literature has indicated that the role of the nurse manager is important to the organization, needs to be clarified, and can influence
the recruitment and retention of nursing staff. Perceptions that nurse managers and staff nurses have about the nurse manager role are not
well documented in the literature.
This study explored whether there was a difference between the perceptions of nurse managers md staff nurses regarding the importance of selected competencies needed to function in the nurse
manager role. The design used for this study was nonexperimental and descriptive. A replication and extension of portions of the research conducted by Weaver (1986) was undertaken.
A random sampling of 100 staff nurses and 100 nurse managers residing in the state of Iowa was obtained. The Skills Questionnaire by Weaver (1986) as adapted from Stahl, Querin, Rudy, and Crawford (1983), as well as a demographic form developed by the researcher, was mailed to each subject.
Results revealed a significant difference between nurse manager and sterff nurse perceptions of nurse manager patient care management competencies. There were no significant differences between nurse manager and staff nurse perceptions regarding all competencies, human
resource management competencies, or operational management competencies. Significant differences were found in perceptions of all competencies, human resource management competencies, and
operational management competencies when staff nurses were placed in categories according to employment setting. Staff nurses with no prior nurse management experience scored significantly higher on perceptions of operational management competencies than staff nurses who had prior nurse management experience.
Additional studies should be conducted to determine generalizability of the findings to the target population by conducting a study with a larger sample size encompassing various regions of the country. It would also be helpful for future researchers to expand the study to determine the perceptions of other health care professionals,
patients, and families regarding the role of the nurse manager
P300 Topographic Differences Between Smokers and Nonsmokers During a Visual Continuous Performance Task
Get PDF[iv], 64 leaves. Advisor: Steven FauxThe problem. Nicotlne is an acetylcholine agonist that modulates the speed and efficiency
of information processing and attention. Recently, P300 event-related potentials (ERPs) have been utilized to examine the effects of nicotine and smoklng on brain activity and information
processing. These previous results indicate that nicotine decreases P300 latency and increases
P300 amplitude, indices which suggest faster and more efficient information processing. Nicotine's effect on P300 topography, to this date, has not been explored.
Procedure. The present study explored the effects of nicotine withdrawal on the latency, amplitude, and more specifically, the topography of the P300 ERP In withdrawn smokers (WS) withdrawn for 12 hours, nonwithdrawn smokers (NWS) and nonsmokers (NS) using a degraded visual continuous performance task (CPT). Signal detection analysis was applied, and behavioral measures of response bias (B"), perceptual sensitivity (A'), hit rate (HR), fake-alarm rate (FA), and median reaction time (RT) were examined.
Findings: Withdrawn smokers showed a decreased P300 amplitude relative to the NS and NWS groups, even after smoking. In contrast, there were no P300 latency differences between the three groups. A difference in P300 topography was revealed between the three groups as a group x electrode site interactlon using normalized P300 amplitudes. Two behavioral measures dlfferentiated between the three groups, HR and B", where the groups' responses varied as a function of session. Smokers, overall, tended to be statistically more conservative in their responses, preferring to commit the error of "miss" versus "false-alarms" relative to the nonsmokers. Nonsmokers overall possessed higher hit rates than smokers