A Celebration of Faculty – Student Scholarship Collaborations
12:00 – 1:00 PM | Science Building Room 203
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Professor Dianne Slager, MSN, APRN-BC*
RuthAnn Freswick, CSN
"A comparison of health care in two African Countries"
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Dr. Renee Canady, PhD, Ingham County Health Department
"How Race and Pregnancy are Lived: An Analysis of Focus Group Discussions with African American Mothers"
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Professor Muriel Larson, MA, RN*
"Transcultural Care: It’s Not Just for Nurses Anymore"
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Professor Renae Boss Potts MSN, RN,* & students
"Nursing Interim in Belize: Botflies, buyays, 'jackass bitters', and sastun."
Come and learn what these are & how they relate to healthcare!
Belize is a beautiful, tropical country located between Mexico, Guatemala & the Caribbean Sea. Ten nursing students will share with you their interim experiences studying Belizean health care, the role of nurses and the variety of cultures represented there. The people of Belize represent a variety of cultural groups including Creole, Mayan, Garifuna, Spanish/Mexican, British (used to be British Honduras), Taiwanese, German Mennonite.
Nursing students have the opportunity to serve and learn from nurses in community clinics, private hospitals and struggling government hospitals. Students also learn from local herbalists, traditional midwives and folk healers. Students will also share stories about living in a Mayan village, uterine massage from a traditional birthing assistant, and hiking through the healing jungle. We welcome you to this presentation.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Professor Sue Dunn, PhD, RN, Chairperson & Associate Professor, Hope College Department of Nursing
"Development and Testing of a New State-Trait Hopelessness Scale For Use With Patients with Coronary Heart Disease"
Hopelessness has been found to persist in some individuals for up to eight months after hospitalization for a coronary heart disease (CHD) event and is related to lower physical functioning and poorer cardiac rehabilitation exercise participation. It is unknown whether hopelessness in individuals with CHD is in response to the cardiac event (i.e. a state) or a chronic tendency among cardiac patients (i.e. a trait). Because no valid and reliable scale differentiating state from trait hopelessness has been identified in the literature, a state-trait hopelessness scale was developed for use with CHD patients.
The purpose of this study was to assess the content validity of the new scale and to pilot test the reliability and validity of the scale with a sample of CHD patients in an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation setting. The hopelessness scale was tested for content validity by having eight expert nursing and psychology researchers at one liberal arts college and one public university review and critique the scale items and overall scale for accuracy and clarity. The scale was then pilot tested with a sample of 70 phase two cardiac rehabilitation patients at one West Michigan hospital between June 2007 and April 2008. Data was collected in person at 1-2 weeks upon admission into the rehabilitation program, in person at 7-8 weeks, and via mailed surveys at 6 months.
Data was analyzed using SPSS statistical software using two-sided tests and α=0.05. Internal consistency was high for both the state and trait scales at all three waves. The average state hopelessness score decreased significantly from 1-2 to 7-8 weeks, but then increased significantly from 7-8 weeks to six months. The average trait hopelessness score did not significantly change from 1-2 to 7-8 weeks, but increased significantly from 7-8 weeks to six months. Increased hopelessness symptoms at six months may be related to leaving the structure and support of an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program.
Limitations for the study included a convenience sample, data collection from only one hospital, limited racial diversity, and the inability to access data for those patients who did not return to a structured cardiac rehabilitation program. Further assessment of the scale is needed, including validation and testing with a larger and more diverse sample, examination of the scale in relationship to other external criteria, and evaluation of the effects of state and trait hopelessness on patient outcomes.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Professor Carol Rossman, MSN, APRN-BC*
"Building Community in an Urban Underserved Neighborhood: A Retrospective Case Study"
This retrospective case study examines a distressed urban neighborhood’s
participation in a community building process of urban planning for community
improvement. This process used an asset approach to community building. Three
charretts were held with community residents. Themes that emerged described the
community, identified community asset and felt needs, and how community
participation result in capacity building and creation of collective efficacy.
The process of coming together to create an urban plan resulted in creation of
a healthier community. This is important to nurses who can be leaders and
innovators of change to improve the health of their communities and the
individuals and families who live there.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Honors Projects of Senior Nursing Students:
- Stephanie Postma
- Katie Pruss
- Carolyn Whaite
*Calvin College Department of Nursing Faculty
