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The War on Games: The Just Say NO! Arcade as a Pro-Social Third Place
Get PDFThe Just Say NO! Family Arcade in Louisville, Kentucky operated from 1989 to 1996 and was the only anti-drug themed arcade in the world. Jack Turner, owner and operator, got special permission from Nancy Reagan and the Just Say NO! Foundation to use the branding and imagery associated with the Just Say NO! campaign. While anti-drug advertising, Just Say NO!, and D.A.R.E. were all relatively unsuccessful campaigns in preventing drug and alcohol abuse in American youths, the Just Say NO! Arcade provides an alternative angle in teaching prosocial behaviors. This research seeks to answer whether or not an arcade can be an effective prosocial space, provide a safe space for youths, and prevent drug and alcohol abuse. In this essay, I examine the history of arcades, anti-drug advertising, U.S. drug policy, and “Third Place” theory within the context of the Just Say NO! Arcade. I also interviewed Jack Turner of the Just Say NO! Arcade to provide deeper understanding and expand the history of the regional arcade franchise. Third places provide spaces for social interaction and community building, and video games have been shown to have a positive impact on the development of children both individually and cooperatively. The gaming atmosphere embedded within the local community provided a gaming-focused third place in the Louisville neighborhoods, which would have been spaces for youths after school and on weekends. These spaces promoted cooperation and friendship under an anti-drug theme. Parents felt comfortable with their children visiting the space due to the strict rules of the arcade, and some children admitted to quitting smoking so that they could play games longer. Providing this space to the community promoted positive behaviors and discouraged drug and alcohol abuse. Likely, Turner’s arcades promoted the prosocial behaviors he was intending to build within his community
Enhanced Discharge Preparation to Decrease Discharge Delays: A Quality Improvement Project
Get PDFIncreased length of stay (LOS) is a focus in hospitals as it has implications for decreased quality of care, increased cost of care, and results in care delays for other patients (Rojas-Garcia et al., 2018). LOS is a measure of a hospital’s efficiency and throughput, which is the process of admitting, treating, and discharging patients. Micallef et al. (2020) found a longer LOS can occur from having extra days due to inefficiency in delivering care or from delays in discharge once the patient no longer needs acute care. The longer a patient stays in the hospital, the greater the risk they will develop a healthcare-acquired condition which may lead to a higher mortality rate. These patients also decrease the hospital’s throughput by blocking the admission and treatment of other patients. Additionally, hospitals are generally not reimbursed for providing the additional days of care since hospitals are reimbursed on a prospective payment system (CMS, 2019). A review of the literature confirmed a great interest and genuine need to identify interventions to address hospital LOS and delayed discharges. While the evidence was generally low to moderate for the multiple interventions studied to address the issue, there were strong recommendations to continue work in this area including efforts to improve patient centered discharge planning (Cadel et al., 2021; Feldman et al., 2022; Micallef et al., 2020; Rochester et al., 2018; Rojas-Garcia et al., 2018; Tipton et al., 2021). Incorporating discharge checklists and communication processes with standardized procedures can improve discharge preparations and be helpful in preventing discharge delays
Promoting Engagement Through Socioscientific Inquiry at the Middle School Level
Get PDFLearning science is not just about facts. It is an area that has the potential to expand beyond the classroom. There is a concern for students having negative associations with science, and not seeing the relevance it plays within their lives. The curriculum should reflect science\u27s value within society and its influence on complex issues. Learning science in the context of socioscientific issues (SSI) can promote an understanding that connects science to society and everyday life. The main objective of this thesis is the see how the use of SSI in the middle school classroom can promote student engagement and how students apply their scientific learning within the social context. It was hypothesized that a classroom that uses SSI within its curriculum will have students that gain a deeper understanding of science with the appropriate knowledge and skills needed to deal with complex issues. Through the research of the literature surrounding SSI and support of AMGEN Biotech Experience (ABE) to present an SSI lesson to a middle school science class, results showed student engagement with this SSI curriculum was evidenced. Following an analysis of the data collection and a connection to the literature, this thesis will address the desired outcomes of improving the perception and how the use of socioscientific issues can be a resource to helping middle school students become more engaged as well as improve their perception of learning science
Pro-life vs. Pro-choice: eye-to-eye
Get PDFThis is a documentary focused on the topic of abortion that will stand as an archive of the events that have happened over the last year as well as an archive of the feelings of different people looking toward the future. This documentary is aimed to inform future generations more intimately of all the events that have transpired within the years 2022 and 2023 in addition to the feelings of many different people surrounding those events
The Mental Health Epidemic in Veterinary Medicine: An Analysis of Burnout in the Veterinary Field
Get PDFThe Mayo Clinic describes burnout as a specific type of stress that involves a state of physical or emotional exhaustion. This exhaustion can lead to a lowered sense of accomplishment and negative personal identity. Despite burnout not being an actual diagnosis, many researchers believe there are several mental health components that contribute to burnout, such as depression and anxiety. Several factors are known to contribute to specifically work-related burnout, including lack of control, work-life imbalance, lack of social support, and extremes of the activity. All of the above factors relate to the veterinary field. In one study, 6.8% of male veterinarians and 10.9% of females were under severe psychological distress based on the Kessler-6 psychological distress scale. Compared to the rest of the population, veterinarians are under almost double the amount of severe psychological stress. Despite the staggering statistics, not much information is currently known about the post-pandemic burnout among veterinary professionals. During the pandemic, it has been estimated that 78% of pet owners acquired their pet. With this rapid increase in pet owners, there has been a dramatic increase in the need for veterinary care. It can be assumed that with more work, there will be higher burnout rates among veterinary clinics.
For this project, a survey analyzing burnout, using the Copenhagen Burnout Index (CBI), was sent out to veterinary professionals across the country. The questionnaire was mainly derived from the work-related burnout questions from the CBI and additional supplementary questions, such as tenure and gender. In addition, 2 open-ended questions were added to get commentary from these professionals as to what they believe is the main cause of burnout in the veterinary field. The results of this study are both quantitative and qualitative. In the quantitative sense, there was a trend seen in tenure and burnout. It was derived that the highest rate of burnout was between years 2-8 with a drop off after 8 years in the veterinary field. Overall, tenure can predict burnout, with more tenure equally higher burnout. F(5, 141) = 2.53, p \u3c 0.05. It was also shown that the average distribution of scores in the current sample is towards the upper limits of burnout. In regard to qualitative results, the main commentary from respondents revolved around client expectations and workload. A common sentiment was that the contrast between client expectations and the cost of service was a main stressor for many professionals. Along with this, the stress was seen to expedited by the long hours worked by these professional. Many cited long work days with no breaks as being a high contributor to their stress. Overall, the burnout of veterinary professionals is something that must be taken seriously. Any pet owner or animal lover knows how important the veterinary community is for both client’s mental health and the wellbeing of animals. The time to act and to bring attention to this issue is now, especially with pet ownership on the rise. The final sentiment is best left in the words of one of the respondents: “Overworked, underpaid, underappreciated, undervalued.
Confessions of Crooks: An Analysis of How Art Influences Society\u27s View on Antiheroes and Redemption Through an Original Short Story Collection
Get PDFThe twenty-first century has successfully bred the notion that everyone who commits a morally reprehensible action is themselves a morally reprehensible individual with absolutely no redeeming factors. This notion, however, simply isn’t accurate as it is shown in not only some of the most popular media of the age but also some of the most famous crimes of the age that people who commit heinous actions aren’t always entirely heinous. With this thesis, I plan to make an argument that condemns judgement on the morality of individuals without knowing their full stories. Specifically, I plan to write a short story collection which will examine the career of a man named Stanley Kane who had to rely on finding the humanity of some of the most irredeemable individuals on the planet in order to maintain his life and his sanity. By writing this collection and drawing both comparisons and contrasts from my own work with some of the most famous discussions of antiheroes in fiction, I hope to provide an effective example that sufficiently argues why society’s lack of interest in the personal struggles of individuals causes much more tragedies than we’d like to admit
A Community U-Knighted: Developing a Community Engagement Program for Student-Athletes
Get PDFStudent-athletes are expected to fill multiple roles and balance both athletic and academic responsibilities while facing other stressors. In some cases, student-athletes are further tasked with engaging with their communities as university representatives. Past research has shown that the motivation to participate in these initiatives is low due to lack of time and has acknowledged burnout among college athletes (Martin, 2019; Huml, 2019). However, few studies have taken a creative approach to address this important challenge. Utilizing functionalist theory and marketing strategies, the current research develops a program to increase volunteerism and community engagement among collegiate athletes
Evaluation of an Evidence-Based, Quality Improvement Program: Improving Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries using the Subepidermal Moisture Scanner
Get PDFHospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are a significant concern, affecting millions of patients in the United States annually, and are a contributing factor to an extended length in hospital stays. Pressure injuries pose a considerable healthcare problem linked to substantial morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Intensive Care Units (ICUs) provide care to the highest acuity patients who often experience limited mobility due to their critical illness or injury. Sedentary behavior is a primary cause of hospital-acquired pressure injuries, with a high incidence rate observed among ICU patients. Traditional methods for pressure injury prevention and detection have limitations in terms of accuracy and timeliness.
This program evaluation project aimed to investigate the effectiveness of staff education and the application of a subepidermal moisture (SEM) scanner in reducing the number of pressure injuries among hospitalized adults in an ICU. SEM scanning has emerged as a novel technology for the early detection and prevention of pressure injuries. The evaluation followed the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation, involving engagement of stakeholders, program description, evaluation design, gathering credible evidence, justifying conclusions, ensuring use, and sharing lessons learned. The evaluation was conducted in a 341-bed urban acute care hospital in the southeastern region of the United States, focusing on four ICU units comprising a total of 64 beds. The MOVE - Pressure Injury Prevention (PIP) program, which included staff education and SEM scanning, was implemented. The study excluded pediatric patients and non-acute care settings