Communication and teamwork are essential components of safe patient care. This evidence-based practice project evaluated the communication and teamwork the operating room staff engaged in during 30 surgical procedures (ophthalmology, plastics, or otorhinolaryngology). Findings provided insight into whether or not the communication and teamwork education that occurred in August, 2012 for registered nurses and surgical technologists was sustained and encultured. This descriptive project utilized a convenience sample consisting of approximately fifty staff members who work in the operating room of a teaching hospital, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, residents, certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), registered nurses, and surgical technicians. To evaluate the quality of communication the Communication and Teamwork Skills (CATS) Assessment Tool was used. From 2012 to 2014, improvement in CATS scores was marked: for example, the score for the communication category went from 91.60% to 99.5% and that for the coordination category from 93.50% to 97.6%.Study findings suggest that education and quality monitoring with teaching moments improve team-based outcomes and, ultimately, increase patient safety. All operative team members should not only be competent in their individual roles but should also work together in a structure exhibiting the expertise of team members functioning synergistically as team members. A nursing competency with a post-test component on communication and teamwork will be developed.
Polypharmacy is the concurrent use of multiple medications. Polypharmacy presents increased health risks and increased hospitalizations due to its synergistic effects particularly in the elderly population. In addition, there is a significant increase in health care spending. Polypharmacy is of special concern among elderly individuals because this practice can lead to other health risks, hospitalization and increased healthcare cost. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates that polypharmacy costs the nation’s health plans more than $50 billion annually. Polypharmacy is linked to higher incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), falls, hospitalization and behavioral incidents among the elderly especially if one or more of the medications is a psychotropic medication. The CMS has therefore established a guideline for the gradual dose reduction (GDR) of psychotropic medications. The aim is to reduce the negative effects of these medications on patients and thereby improve their general quality of life. This evidence based project examined the effects of the gradual dose reduction among residents between the ages of 65-75 living in a long-term care facility in the inner city of North-East Bronx. The project also evaluated the facility’s policy regarding GDR within this population and proposed ways to enhance the policy improve patient safety and reduce medication cost.
The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to describe how corporate sponsorship influences an incoming NCAA D-1 student-athletes’ university or college selection decisions from the perspective of student-student athletes and school recruiters. This study may benefit schools and corporate sponsors (Wear et al., 2016). A better understanding of students’ selection processes would aid school athletic programs in recruiting and retaining high-caliber players, which in turn brings them greater team success and corporate sponsorship. Additionally, this study may allow corporate sponsors to better understand how their sponsorship investment influences players.
Despite the exponential growth of sponsorship contracts on college campuses, there has been little research on the effect these contracts have on the decision making of university students (Wear et al., 2016). This study would add valuable knowledge to the literature, while potentially benefiting schools and corporate sponsors that are looking to improve their athletic programs and the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. Students have the potential to benefit from this study as well. By understanding how corporate sponsorship may influence student decision making, students may be able to make more informed choices about the schools they attend. By performing this research, it is possible the researcher may be able to better understand how incoming NCAA D-1 student-athletes’ school choices are influenced by corporate sponsorship.
This study is based upon the premise that the perception of teachers toward the effectiveness of the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching observation/evaluation model influences their performance in the classroom. The purpose of the study was to identify teacher perceptions of how they are observed and evaluated using this model under the new statutes and regulations dictated through the TEACHNJ Act passed through the state evaluation system, AchieveNJ, within one school district in Somerset County, New Jersey. This study examined whether there existed any statistically significant differences in perceptions among or between teachers according to their gender, level of assignment(s), years of experience, or educational degrees and certification(s) held. Subsidiary questions focused on the overall perceptions of teachers as they relate the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching teacher observation/evaluation model for improving teacher performance, the professional learning the they had received on the usage of the model, the ability of the model to define specific activities for improvement, and whether not the observation process had an effect on improving their professional practices in the classroom.
The researcher survey instrument, and it was tested for reliability and validity by running an initial pilot survey in a district similar in demographic makeup to the district used to conduct the data collection for this research. With the help of a statistician, the survey instrument was modified and improved upon in order to collect data regarding teacher perceptions of the Danielson Model. The survey also made allowances for additional comments to identify any common perceptions on Danielson or the usage of the observation/evaluation model.
The data analysis, run using Microsoft Excel, revealed that a statistically significant difference existed based on degrees attained, teaching assignment, and years of teaching experience. Gender and certification(s) held did not produce any statistically significant differences.
Additional research is necessary concerning the perception of teachers with regard to the other major observation/evaluation models currently being used in New Jersey. Research on teacher performance beyond the quantitative data analysis presented in this study, using either qualitative analysis or a mixed methodology approach to teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching teacher observation/evaluation model in New Jersey, may provide insights beyond those garnered from quantitative analysis alone. The additional comments provided by the respondents further indicated that a qualitative or mixed methodology approach is warranted. Inter-rater reliability of the observers may also be an area that requires further research, as is the link between teacher performance, student growth objects (SGO), student growth percentiles (SGP) and observation/evaluation scores.
Letter from Gov. Florio and Rep. Guarini requesting that provision prohibiting construction of pedestrian bridge between Liberty State Park and Ellis Island be eliminated.
Draft letter signed by New Jersey Governor Jim Florio, Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Frank Guarini expressing concern about the National Park Service's apparent attempt to prevent the construction of a pedestrian bridge between Ellis Island and Liberty State Park.
Letter outlining reasons for the construction of a permanent pedestrian bridge from Liberty State Park to Ellis island and soliciting the Congressman's help in deleting the language that prohibits the building of the bridge.
Child welfare staff are at risk for secondary traumatic stress due to daily exposure to vicarious trauma while working with children and families who are traumatized, often due to family violence. The stress of working with maltreated children is significant in that it contributes to negative client outcomes and high staff turnover rates and results in an inexperienced workforce of care providers. There is a need to address secondary traumatic stress among child welfare workers using a systematic, organizational approach to reduce staff turnover and improve the quality of care delivery to children. New Jersey child welfare services are delivered via Care Management Organizations that often struggle to meet the federally mandated goals of child safety, protection, permanency, and well-being. Child well-being is often not addressed, and knowledge regarding trauma-informed care is often lacking among child welfare workers. The purpose of this capstone project was to investigate whether implementation of trauma-informed care practices in a child welfare service delivery setting resulted in decreased turnover and secondary traumatic stress symptoms among workers. Using the evidenced-based National Child Traumatic Stress Network Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit, a Care Management Organization’s service delivery design was changed to become trauma-informed and the impact of the change evaluated using measures of turnover rates and workers’ compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and professional quality of work life.
Student evaluation of teachers (SET) is an important method of assessing professors' teaching skills and effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to determine whether and to what extent a relationship between grades and student evaluations of professors exists and how this relationship influences faculty practices, such as teaching styles, grading habits, and employment terms.
This mixed-methods research was significant in that it was conducted at a faith-based institution. The faculty was composed of lay personnel and clergy who were surveyed in 30-to- 45-minute mid-semester interviews. The student population included seminarians—students studying to become priests— and students in religious formation, as well as lay
students. Students were surveyed using a modified SET form distributed near the end of the semester.
The study found that there is a relationship between grades and SETs: students receiving higher grades tended to give higher ratings to their professors, and students receiving lower grades tended to give lower ratings to their professors. The findings also showed that seminarians were less likely to give low ratings to their professors than non-seminary students (rs = .398 vs. .204). The research showed that SETs do have an impact on professors' performances. The data indicated that most faculty made changes to their instructional practices in response to student evaluations. The research also revealed no significant difference between the reactions of lay and religious personnel to SETs.
The results of this investigation include suggestions for modifications of practices and policies that would apply to this college and seminary's administrators, faculty, and students. In addition, recommendations for further research and application to other higher education institutions are discussed.