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Interoceptive Practices Performed in Nature and Not in Nature: A Phenomenological Inquiry
No full textInteroception is consciously interpreting and integrating bodily sensations. A person’s interoceptive awareness has a lasting effect as the mind and body attempt to maintain homeostasis. Time spent in nature offers greater stress reduction, cognitive functioning, and immune response. Both interoception and nature positively affect well-being, however, no studies describe interoceptive practice and time spent in nature as a combined experience. This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of individuals engaging in a pre-recorded interoceptive practice six times, both in nature and non-nature settings. Eight participants describe their somatic, emotional, physiological, and overall essential experiences using descriptive journal worksheets with open-ended journal prompts, somatic body maps, Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, and self-reported heart rate variability. We analyzed data using interpretative phenomenological analysis, content, and thematic analysis. All participants identified changes in somatic sensations and shifts in emotional states. Most participants shifted towards positive emotional states, with Serenity being the most frequently identified emotion in both settings. The physiological data was unique to each individual experience during every single session. Participants described positive benefits, resulting in a reduction of negative emotions and an increase in positive emotions. Most participants had a greater appreciation and increased desire to interact with nature. Interoceptive practices led to increased awareness of bodily sensations, emotions, and overall experiences. This powerful medicine is free and accessible at any moment in time. More nuanced research is needed to understand how interoceptive practices can benefit well-being, including research on specific body part sensations prior to interceptive practices
High Reliability in Prelicensure Nursing Clinical Onboarding: A Standardized Checklist
No full textBackground: Prelicensure nursing student clinical onboarding is a complex task. Students must complete site-specific onboarding to ensure compliance to safely be at clinicals. The complexity and size of this clinical requirement is enormous. Utilizing the principles of high reliability, this quality improvement project created a standardized onboarding checklist for a baccalaureate nursing program at a private university in the Upper Midwest United States. This checklist can assist with the complexity of onboarding at any healthcare educational institution, especially those with multiple clinical partners and various nursing programs. Methods: A quality improvement project consisting of a standardized onboarding checklist with pre- and post-implementation surveys was implemented. Intervention: 97.8% of a pilot group of 46 students at the junior-level of a prelicensure nursing program utilized standardized checklists for their Spring 2023 clinical rotations onboarding. Results: 85.7% of students in the pilot group were satisfied with the change to utilizing onboarding checklists. The work of the Clinical Education liaison at the university decreased by 26.5%, as evidenced by the decreased volume of emails for this semester compared to the previous semester. Conclusion: There is very little information about student onboarding in the healthcare literature. This project, the standardized onboarding checklist, was a positive intervention to manage the complexity and volume of onboarding for a pilot group of prelicensure nursing students. This cost-effective tool is easy to use and could be implemented for health sciences students
The Effects of Music and Movement on Learning Sight Words
Full text linkThis action research aimed to evaluate the effects of music and movement on learning sight words. This study occurred in a public Montessori classroom in a metropolitan area in Minnesota. There were 19 students, ages 4-6, and 10 targeted sight words. Students viewed Jan Richardson and Jack Hartmann’s Sight Word Music videos during the 6-week intervention. In each video, students were encouraged to dance, move, sing, and follow the instructions of the musician. Baseline and post-assessment data, student attitude surveys, video observations, and student activity worksheets were collected and evaluated from 10 kindergarten students. Quantitative data revealed increased student proficiency in reading sight words. Qualitative data revealed that student attitude towards music and movement and student engagement does not impact the outcome of words learned. Although there were increases in student proficiency, more research is needed to thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of Richardson and Hartmann’s Sight Word Music videos
The Influence of Social Stories on Early Learners
Full text linkThis action research study was conducted in a two or three-day-a-week preschool class within a suburban area in the Midwest. This study collected observable student behavior over four weeks. The study aimed to decrease anxiety and undesirable behaviors among preschool-aged students within a classroom setting. Undesirable behaviors include prolonged anxiety when transitioning from the first learning environment, home, to the second, school. In addition, behaviors such as trouble following routine expectations and transitioning within a preschool classroom. The student participants in this research were given Social Stories to help ease anxiety within the preschool classroom during routines and separation from home to school. Data was collected on observable undesirable behaviors during classroom transitions and the circle time routine through pre-observations and post-observations and a parental survey. All student participants in this study showed a decrease in undesirable behaviors. The research from this study allows for further use of social stories within an early childhood classroom setting and new research on how social stories can benefit other student populations
Maintaining Competency Beyond Orientation: Utilizing Wright\u27s Competency Model
No full textBackground: To ensure patient safety, nurses need to maintain competency, which is ongoing, dynamic, and constantly changing. Through root cause analysis, the organization identified many preventable safety events attributed to nursing competency. A quality improvement initiative implemented a standardized process to identify nursing competency needs and complete validation of the identified competency. The population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and time (PICOT) question was: For RNs in an acute care unit, does Wright\u27s competency model, compared to the current process, improve nurse satisfaction and confidence with the process and competence, based on pre-and post- intervention self-assessments?
Methods: The quality improvement project design included piloting Wright\u27s Competency Model, developing standard tools to aid in competency identification, and a prioritization process to be used by stakeholders. For this pilot, two competency needs were identified: the first 5 minutes of a code response and pressure injury prevention. Two validation methods from which the nurse could choose were also identified. To gather data on the project, pre- and post-intervention surveys were sent to the nurses. Descriptive statistics, paired T-tests, and qualitative thematic analysis were utilized to analyze the data.
Results: Wright\u27s competency model was successfully implemented, and survey results showed improved staff satisfaction, reflection of practice, and nursing input in the development process. There was a \u3e50% increase in perceived nurse competency for the first 5 minutes of the code and pressure injury prevention.
Conclusions/Implications for practice: Initial results conclude that the project was a success. Wright\u27s model improved nurse satisfaction with the competency process and improved nurse perception of competence. Long-term impacts on patient outcomes are yet to be assessed. Plans to expand the pilot to other locations are underway
Increasing Accessibility to Autism Assistance Dogs: An Educational Module on Family Based Training Programs
Full text linkIntroduction: In the United States, one out of every 36 children will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by age eight (CDC, 2020). For parents with a child with ASD, their child’s safety and wellbeing can be a daily concern. An autism assistance dog (AAD), like those trained by Can Do Canines, can greatly improve the quality of life of the entire family. However, this type of assistance dog is limited due to many factors, leading Can Do Canines, and many other assistance dog training organizations, to have substantial waitlists for families wishing to receive an AAD.
Purpose: The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to develop an educational module on a family-based training program that would allow families to access an online training portal with videos to help them train their own family dogs to become AADs for their children. An educational module was needed to clarify the differences between a trained autism assistance dog provided by Can Do Canines and a family trained assist dog, and to improve accessibility to the benefits that assistance dogs provide to children with ASD.
Approach: A backward design approach was utilized for this project because the educational module about the program could not be created if there was no program outline to base the module off of. Interviews were conducted with a United Kingdom-based assistance dog program, Dogs for Good, who launched a similar family-based training program, in order to determine the most successful layout and pre-education needed to make Can Do Canine’s family-based training program successful.
Outcomes: This program was evaluated with a focus group to provide qualitative feedback on the first drafts of all deliverables, and from a final survey delivered to all focus group members once final edits to deliverables had been made to provide qualitative and quantitative feedback. Focus group feedback largely centered around the need for more clarity on the differences between a trained assistance dog and a family-trained dog, that the order of use of the deliverables made sense, and the graphics were clear and understandable. Final survey feedback reflected similar results for clarity of graphics, helpfulness of supplemental deliverables for the program, and helpfulness of having two versions of the education module to address various learning styles. Once the Can Do Canines staff is able to develop the online portal, the pilot program can be launched.
Recommendations: Firstly, it is important that this program is launched to a small portion of families currently on the waitlist for a Can Do Canines AAD in order to address any issues that may arise with program roll out, and to determine the true efficacy of the education module. Secondly, adding an occupational therapist to client services teams that connect assistance dogs with families is recommended due to an occupational therapist’s unique holistic and client-centered skill set that will allow the dog to fully assist a client in improving their daily occupational engagement
Are You Safe at Home?: Rebuilding a Program
Full text linkThe purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to complete a program evaluation of the Safe at Home program provided by Rebuilding Together Minnesota (RTMN). The program evaluation assessed the efficiency of the program and identified areas for improvement. The program evaluation used the Framework for Program Evaluation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the conceptual framework. Four themes were identified by RTMN staff to guide the program evaluation activities: 1) operational efficiency, 2) funding and resource deficits, 3) future goals, and 4) relationship and communication. The key themes from the other participants that informed the program evaluation process included: 1) a set volunteer schedule, 2) improved communication after an installation, and 3) other Rebuilding Together affiliates have occupational therapists complete home assessments year-round. The program evaluation resulted in the creation of 1) a logic model of the Safe at Home program, 2) a Safe at Home protocol for new staff to use as a cheat-sheet, 3) process updates to the program including a Shared Drive on Google Drive, 4) updated pre- and post-screen script and tables, 5) a new method for scheduling installations using My Maps from Google Maps, 6) a home modification handout, and 7) a presentation to RTMN about the program evaluation. A post- survey completed following the program evaluation activities found that the program evaluation improved the program’s efficiency and ability to get services to clients in a more timely manner. The recommendations as a result of the program evaluation include 1) set volunteer times, 2) having a Salesforce super-user, 3) mechanisms to increase outreach, 4) updating the pre- screen assessments, 5) opportunities to increase funding, and 6) conducting a program evaluation for the Home Repair and Ramps programs
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Occupational Therapy Curriculum: Implications for Students and Faculty
Full text linkIntroduction: The field of occupational therapy lacks diversity which furthers the importance for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and cultural humility learning outcomes for faculty and students.
Aims: This capstone project aims to improve DEI concepts and cultural humility within the St. Catherine University occupational therapy curriculum by educating occupational therapy faculty and students in the Human Occupation course.
Approach: This capstone project is completed with St. Catherine University’s entry-level occupational therapy program to meet the university’s strategic plan and AOTA’s Vision 2025. The participants of this capstone project included first year students taking the Human Occupation course and faculty members within the occupational therapy program. Students were provided pre-class and in-class materials related to culture and DEI. Faculty members were recruited via email to participate. Faculty members were provided a video lecture and resource guide on DEI and cultural humility pedagogies. Students and faculty completed pre and post surveys containing qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate the effectiveness of the teachings.
Outcomes: Four out of five questions were statistically significant for student quantitative responses. Students provided qualitative feedback of considerable new learning. Faculty members who agree to participate demonstrated improved knowledge in DEI and cultural humility, improved comfort level teaching DEI material, and an increase in the number of times they will use DEI and cultural humility concepts in their courses. Faculty provided qualitative feedback of concepts they would use in their courses and additional questions related to the materials.
Implications: Students would continue to benefit from DEI and cultural humility training throughout the entire coursework. It is recommended that all occupational therapy faculty members complete DEI and cultural humility training on an annual basis
Addressing Academic and Faculty Challenges: Empowering Success and Accessibility with an Occupational Therapy Perspective
Full text linkIntroduction: The increasing presence of students with disabilities in higher education necessitates improved faculty support and awareness of on-campus support services and accommodations. Occupational therapists can play a vital role in promoting inclusion and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles by collaborating with faculty to enhance the academic experience and success of students with disabilities.
Purpose: The primary aim of this project was to evaluate and educate faculty on student support services at the University and share knowledge on Universal Design for Learning to enhance the existing literature on the significance of OT in higher education.
Approach: I completed an extensive literature search, needs assessments, and conducted various semi-structured interviews with professionals at St. Catherine University. A faculty resource survey was created to gather information from faculty on support resources that would benefit the campus community.
Outcomes: Overall, the faculty showed positive attitudes towards Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as the top priority. Common themes identified from the faculty resource survey were knowledge of accessibility, communication, knowledge of student resources and faculty resources, staffing, and ease of locating resources.
Recommendations: The Student Accessibility and Accommodations (SA&A) office and the occupational therapy profession can continue collaborating to support faculty, staff, and students. A future capstone student could create a UDL program for faculty and evaluate faculty resources
Following the Child to Health: Evaluating the Potential of Montessori Programs as a Public Health Intervention
Full text linkThe Montessori education philosophy has been around for over 100 years but has become particularly popular in the United States in the last two decades. Montessori is characterized by its child-centered lens, promotion of independence, and support of a child\u27s natural desire to learn. Montessori programs are often associated with wealthy families able to pay for private preschool, but the Montessori curriculum was originally developed and implemented with great success in low-income communities in early 20th century Rome. With this in mind, I determined to investigate the opportunity for using Montessori programs as a public health intervention in low-income communities. The central goal of the resulting project is the education of a general audience about the opportunity for existing Montessori programs in early childhood to serve as an intervention to decrease health disparities in later life. The resulting research paper comprises a literature review of relevant research, a discussion of the link between education and health outcomes, and interviews with Montessori educators and early childhood specialists. From this research, Montessori programs were found to have great potential to serve as an equalizer between children from low- and high-income communities, predicting future academic success, decreasing wealth gaps, and improving adult health outcomes