A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FOR MEDICATION RECONCILIATION

The purpose of this study was to implement a quality improvement project for medication reconciliation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a Midwestern hospital. This project was conducted by surveying the twenty-two nurses, four pharmacists, and one medication reconciliation technician regarding their view of barriers to why medication reconciliations are not always done at admission to this unit. Data was collected that revealed the number of patients admitted to this ICU prior to the implementation of the project. Then a quality improvement project was initiated. The first step was to re-educate the staff on the proper steps of entering the medication reconciliation into the patient’s chart through the electronic medical record on admission. A step-by-step guide was printed and left at each workstation for later reference. Two admission tasks were added to the EMR to serve as a reminder for the nurses to complete the medication reconciliation at admission and to notify the admitting provider that the reconciliation was complete. Three months passed and then data was again collected for the number of patients admitted and the number of medication reconciliations completed at admission. After the quality improvement project, the percentage of medication reconciliations actually decreased. This ICU experienced a surge of pandemic patients during this project

Belonging in a Predominantly White Institution: The Role of Membership in Latina/o Sororities and Fraternities

This qualitative, multiple case study explored the role of involvement in a particular university subculture, Latina/o sororities and fraternities, in how Latina/o college students develop and make meaning of their sense of belonging within predominantly White institutions. Findings address ways Latina/o college students described their institutional sense of belonging in addition to a discussion of five primary characteristics of belonging: where I have a role or responsibility, where people look like me, where I am valued and cared for, where my racial identity and culture is recognized and valued, and where I share interests or values with others. The results underscore the significance of the role of belonging in campus subcultures for Latina/o college students. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Conversations About Food Insecurity: Examining College Campus Climates

This qualitative critical narrative inquiry study explored the experiences of 19 students within four universities in a single Southern state that used campus food aid resources such as a food pantry. Using Hurtado et al.’s Multicontextual Model for Diverse Learning Environments (MMDLE), this paper sheds light on how participants discussed the campus climate for students experiencing food insecurity within their respective campuses. Findings unpack students’ reflections on a lack of awareness and discussion about food insecurity and food aid resources within the campus community, the role that stigmas played in participants’ perceptions and use of campus food aid resources, and doubts they had in accessing these resources. Implications for practice and future research are discussed

Latinx College Student Sense of Belonging: The Role of Campus Subcultures

This qualitative, multiple case study incorporated elements of a grounded theory approach to explore the role of involvement in a particular university subculture, Latinx Greek letter organizations, in how Latinx college students develop and make meaning of their sense of belonging within predominantly White institutions. The study was guided by the following questions: (1) How do Latinx college students involved in LGLOs at PWIs experience and develop a sense of belonging? (2) What role (if any) does involvement in Latinx fraternities and sororities play in how Latinx college students experience and develop a sense of belonging at PWIs? Participants included 14 Latinx college students involved in Latinx Greek letter organizations at two large, public universities in the Midwest. Data collection involved individual level and institutional level data. Individual level data were the primarily data source and included a demographic survey in addition to a set of three individual interviews using photo elicitation with each of the 14 participants. Institutional level data included institutional documents and statements as well as interviews with Greek Life staff members at participating institutions. An exploration of participants’ sense of belonging in microsystems, “the immediate, face-to-face setting in which the person exists” (Bronfenbrenner, 1997, p. 302), pointed to five primary characteristics of places of belonging: where I have a role or responsibility, where people look like me, where I am valued and cared for, where my racial identity and culture is recognized and valued, and where I share interests or values with others. These characteristics shaped the extent to which participants felt a sense of belonging within a given setting, which had a ripple effect on individuals’ sense of belonging in other contexts. The findings of this study underscored the significance of the role of belonging in campus subcultures for Latinx college students regardless of whether individuals also felt a sense of belonging within the university as a whole, thus highlighting the significance of micro- and macro- levels of belonging in the experiences of Latinx college students. This study offers implications for research and practice based on these findings

Does Location Really Matter? Exploring the Role of Place in Domestic and International Service-Learning Experiences

Although increasingly popular, international/global service-learning programs are not without critique; in fact, the role of crossing national borders in service-learning is highly contested. The purpose of the study discussed in this article was to explore this role of crossing borders within the context of a particular experience: participation in an alternative break (AB) program. The authors sought to understand whether there is an aspect of learning in specific places, namely learning across national borders, that is separate (and separable) from what happens in those places. Participants reported a high level of influence of their AB experience on both their intentions to volunteer and to travel internationally, although there were a number of differences between students who participated in domestic and international ABs. Mediation analysis showed that the relationship between program location and the influence of the AB on students’ plans to volunteer was mediated completely by features of the AB program itself, while the relationship between program location and the influence of the AB on students’ plans to travel internationally was only partially mediated by program features

HOW ARE MEDICAL SOCIAL WORKERS EQUIPPED WITH ADEQUATE TRAINING TO DETECT AND REPORT ELDER ABUSE IN HOSPICE

Purpose: This study explored how equipped medical social workers are with adequate training to detect and report elder abuse in hospice. This study was carried out in Southern California with the help of participants who currently or have previously worked as medical social workers in hospice. The eleven participants are all women of varying backgrounds in age, ethnicity, cultures, work experience, and licensures. In the United States, elder abuse is known to affect approximately one out of ten Americans aged sixty and over. However, there are ways we can combat elder abuse. One of the major ways is by properly educating and training medical social workers who work with the elderly population to detect, identify, report, and intervene when elder abuse is suspected. This study obtains a better understanding of how medical social workers are supplied with adequate training to detect and report elder abuse in hospice. Data for this study was collected through interviews of medical social workers who currently work or have previously worked in hospice. Analysis of the interviews revealed that participants who did receive mandatory and volunteer training at their hospice agencies on elder abuse, most expressed that the training they did receive was beneficial. Although, they did express a need for more comprehensive and extensive training that would challenge them and further their current knowledge on elder abuse. Along with mandatory and volunteer training, participants also shared their formal education, in the classroom and through internship, as beneficial in being able to identify, detect and report elder abuse in hospice. Results in volunteer training were similar to mandatory training in that participants found it beneficial because it was more comprehensive information that challenged and furthered their current knowledge. These findings reveal the professional and educational needs of medical social workers in hospice. Participants expressed a need for more training and education that would further their knowledge and understanding of elder abuse. Therefore, it is the social workers’ and hospice agencies’ responsibility to provide and participate in more comprehensive and extensive training in elder abuse that will create more adept social workers in hospice

Motivations for Queer Women of Color to Join Culturally Based Sororities

This critical narrative inquiry explored the motivations for Queer Women of Color to join culturally based sororities. Using Muñoz’s concept of disidentifications, we found that participants made strategic decisions when navigating the sorority membership process as well as in deciding what organization to join. Findings showed the importance of race/ethnicity, sexuality and gender, and other important connections to individual identities in participants’ motivations. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Does Location Really Matter? Exploring the Role of Place in Domestic and International Service-Learning Experiences

Although increasingly popular, international/global service-learning programs are not without critique; in fact, the role of crossing national borders in service-learning is highly contested. The purpose of the study discussed in this article was to explore this role of crossing borders within the context of a particular experience: participation in an alternative break (AB) program. The authors sought to understand whether there is an aspect of learning in specific places, namely learning across national borders, that is separate (and separable) from what happens in those places. Participants reported a high level of influence of their AB experience on both their intentions to volunteer and to travel internationally, although there were a number of differences between students who participated in domestic and international ABs. Mediation analysis showed that the relationship between program location and the influence of the AB on students’ plans to volunteer was mediated completely by features of the AB program itself, while the relationship between program location and the influence of the AB on students’ plans to travel internationally was only partially mediated by program features

International Students in Their Own Country: Motivation of Vietnamese Graduate Students to Attend a Collaborative Transnational University

Higher education institutions in Vietnam have embraced opportunities to collaborate internationally to address specific educational needs that have emerged as a result of an accelerated economic and political society. The shift to a global market-driven economy has resulted in the need to produce better prepared graduates, advance in technology, and a shift in teaching and learning practices. In this study, we examine the motivations of 22 Vietnamese graduate students to attend Vietnamese-German University (VGU). The site is of particular importance because VGU is a true collaboration between two different governments, resulting in a collaborative transnational university. The findings from this study indicate three connected pull factors for graduate students: instruction conducted in English, benefits of a German degree, and the low cost for an international degree. Implications from findings illuminate why Vietnamese graduate students make educational choices and provide insights on their academic experiences as they relate to societal priorities

The Road to Researcher: The Development of Research Self-Efficacy in Higher Education Scholars

Aim/Purpose: Understanding how students develop a sense of efficacy as researchers can pro-vide faculty members in higher education doctoral programs insight into how to be more effective teachers and mentors, necessitating discipline-specific research on how graduate programs are and can be fostering students’ research self-efficacy (RSE). Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore how doctoral pro-grams and early research experiences contribute to the development of RSE in higher education scholars. Background: Participants identified elements of the formal and “hidden” curriculumt pro-moted and inhibited RSE development. Methodology: We employed multiple case study analysis of 17 individual early career scholars in higher education and student affairs. Contribution: Findings indicate that the development of RSE is complex, but that Bandura’s four main sources of efficacy are a useful way to understand the types of experi-ences that students are and should be having to promote RSE. Our findings also highlight the importance of the research training environment in RSE develop-ment. Findings: We found that the formal curriculum of participants’ doctoral programs – their research methods coursework and the process of writing their dissertations – were important facilitators of their RSE development. However, we also found that the “hidden curriculum” – the availability of extracurricular research oppor-tunities, faculty and peer mentoring, and the overall research culture of the doctoral programs – were influential in participants’ development. Recommendations for Practitioners: Our findings point to a number of implications for higher education graduate programs seeking to improve students’ RSE. First, with regard to coursework, our findings point to the importance of recognizing the negative experiences students may bring with them to their doctoral programs, particularly related to quantita-tive methods, and of finding ways to help them see quantitative methods in dif-ferent ways than they have before. Second, our findings suggest important impli-cations for how faculty members as teachers, advisors, and mentors can think about providing feedback. Finally, our findings suggest the importance of under-standing the “hidden curriculum,” and how faculty members can influence stu-dents’ experiences outside of coursework and dissertations