Leading Change during the Convergence of an Epidemic and a Pandemic

As the first wave of COVID-19 cases spread around the globe in early 2020, the healthcare community adopted a medical model that emphasized the use of resources to mitigate viral spread (Oerther & Watson, 2020). Schools, churches, and businesses shutdown, and healthcare facilities – from outpatient clinics to inpatient elective surgeries – were closed or cancelled. Even long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, limited access of visitors to patients in an attempt at mitigation. And for six months, the healthcare community focused almost exclusively on a medical response to COVID-19, securing stockpiles of ventilators and fast-tracking vaccine development

The Ethical Challenges of Antimicrobial Resistance for Nurse Practitioners

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most challenging worldwide health threats facing modern medicine (Centers for Disease Control, 2018; Logan & Bonomo, 2016; World Health Organization, 2018; Zerr et al., 2014). According to the World Health Organization (2018), when antimicrobial drugs are no longer effective at killing infections caused by bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses, this is called AMR. AMR leads to drug-resistant infections (World Health Organization, 2018). Nurse practitioners need to be leaders in mitigating risks associated with antimicrobial use, including ethical dilemmas surrounding AMR (Centers for Disease Control, 2018; Logan & Bonomo, 2016; World Health Organization, 2018; Zerr et al., 2014). For instance, prescribing antimicrobial drugs represents an ethical dilemma for nurse practitioners, since the health needs of individual patients must to be balanced against preservation of effective antimicrobial therapies and concerns for long-term prevention of AMR in communities (Basu & Garg, 2018; Johnstone, 2016)

Parenting Pre-Teens during Covid-19 in a Rural Midwestern Community: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study

To uncover the experiences of parenting Generation Z pre-teen children in rural communities impacted by the Stay Home Missouri order from April through May 2020. Researchers have focused on urban parents, leading to gaps in understanding the impact of the COVID-19 quarantine on rural parents and children. A qualitative study employing interpretive phenomenology. 14 white cis-male-sexed fathers and cis-female-sexed mothers living in midwestern rural communities participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews with 14 participants parenting pre-teen children were conducted. The interviews were analyzed using interpretive phenomenology. The COREQ checklist was followed. One theme that emerged from the narratives was the study participants\u27 understandings of parenting, discovered when their routines were disrupted by the Stay Home Missouri order. This theme involved three sub-themes: 1) responding to the challenges of protecting pre-teen children; 2) coping with disrupted social relationships; and 3) renegotiating responsibilities. Professionals who work with families need to find ways to assist parents during and after a health emergency that requires quarantine. COVID-19 is not the first pandemic to endanger humanity, and the next pandemic—or a future variant of SARS—could require an additional period of local, regional, or national quarantine. Implications for professionals supporting parents during periods of severe disruption—such as future public health crises as well as large scale quarantines—are offered to assist with preparation for and coping with severe disruptions to parenting

Utilizing Mobile Health Technology at the Bottom of the Pyramid

Among the Millennium Development Goals, MDG 5 Maternal Health has as its dual objectives: (a) reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio; and (b) achieve universal access to reproductive health. Existing maternal health survey instruments were evaluated, modified, adapted, and used to assess perceptions and practices by mothers in villages located in the state of Gujarat in western India as well as women residing in urban Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Women who had recently given birth were asked a series of questions regarding maternal attitudes and behaviors before, during, and shortly after pregnancy including basic health data (i.e., height and weight), basic health care data (i.e., antenatal, delivery, and postnatal visits by health care professionals), and basic reproductive health practices (i.e., the knowledge of, use, and availability of birth control methods). The results from the surveys will ultimately be used to assess the efficacy of an IT-based intervention wherein pregnant moms will register with an SMS text message thereafter receiving reminders about health, simple questions, and follow-up to improve health outcomes during and immediately following pregnancy

Designing Local Food Systems: Results from a Three-Year Pilot

A Redesigned Course Employing Blended Delivery, a Flipped Format, and Modified Mastery Learning with a Buffet Approach to Assign Final Grades Was Used to Teach Engineering Design to Approximately 25 Dual-Level (Juniors, Seniors, and First Year Graduate) Students Pursuing Baccalaureate Degrees in Environmental, Civil, or Architectural Engineering or a Graduate Degree in Environmental Engineering. the Course Replaced a Traditional Pedagogical Format that Used Lecture-Discussion Augment with Extended Homework Assignments and a Semester-Long Design Project, Which Focused on the Content of Designing a Wastewater Treatment Plants. the Redesigned Course Uses the Engineering Design Process to Improve the Local Food System, Which Includes Aspects of Sustainability and Life Cycle Principles of Water, Carbon, and Nutrients. Spanning the Full Impact of COVID-19 (Spring Semester 2020 Initial Disruption and Movement to Remote Learning; Spring 2021 Online Instruction; and Spring 2022 a Return to Face-To-Face Instruction), This Paper Describes: A) Details of Course Pedagogy; B) Details of Course Content; and 3) Outcomes from Three Course Offerings over a Period of Three Years to 84 Students. Attributes of This Course Described in This Article, Include: 1) Students Completed Lecture Content Mapped Closely to the Environmental Engineering Body of Knowledge (EnvEng BoK) and the Design Criteria Described by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET Inc.; 2) Students Prepared Podcasts to Teach Design Principles to Specific Audiences (I.e., High School Students, Peers, and Public Officials); and 3) Students Worked Independently and in Small Groups to Perform Term-Length Design Exercises. a Unique Aspect of This Course Included Interdisciplinary Involvement of Faculty from Environmental Engineering, University Extension, and Nursing to Provide Both Breadth in How to Engage with Communities for Design (I.e., from a Nursing Perspective) as Well as Depth in How to Understand and Consider Local Food Systems (I.e., from a University Extension Perspective)

Did the NAE Changing the Conversation Campaign Introduce the Care Penalty into Engineering?

Over the Past Twenty Years, the National Academy of Engineering of the United States of America Undertook a Campaign Entitled, Changing the Conversation. Explicit Intentions of the Campaign Included Raising Public Awareness of Engineering, Increasing the Total Number of Engineers, and Recruiting Historically Underrepresented Groups to Join Engineering. in Particular, Marketing Efforts Developed Inclusive Tag Lines Aimed to Diversify Groups Enrolled in Engineering and Increase the Diversity of the Professional Engineering Workforce. While Changes in Demographics Were Disappointing for Some Groups (I.e., Little to No Change Was Observed for People of Color), Generally, the Campaign Has Been Considered Moderately Successful for Increasing the Number of Females Joining Engineering. This is Speculated to Be Associated with the Use of Tag Lines that Helped to Humanize Engineering (I.e., Emphasizing the People Helping Aspects of Engineering Rather Than the Building Things Aspects of Engineering). the Use of Marketing Identified to Attract More Females to Engineering May Have Inadvertently Introduced the Care Penalty into Engineering. the Care Penalty Refers to the Lack of Financial Compensation for Work Performed by Those Who Choose Employment in a Caring Profession , Which is Independent of the Sex, Gender, or Gender Expression of the Employee. for Example, Caring Nurses Receive the Same Pay as Uncaring Nurses in a Hospital Setting, Yet Patients Who Have Caring Nurses Report Higher Levels of Satisfaction with the Hospital. Unpriced Benefits (I.e., Caring ), Which Are Poorly Rewarded in Employee Pay, Represent an Example of the Care Penalty. It Has Been Observed that Caring Professions Often Include a Larger Proportion of Female Employees (I.e., Skilled Nurses, Elementary School Educators, and Social Workers). Therefore, the Use of Tag Lines Specifically Selected to Attract a Larger Number of Females to Joining Engineering (I.e., Tag Lines Emphasizing the Caring Nature of Engineering ), May Attract Both More Females (Independent of Compensation) as Well as More Individuals Who Are Willing to Accept Lower Financial Compensation (I.e., Individuals Willing to Accept the Care Penalty). using a Literature Review, the Presence of a Care Penalty in Engineering is Described, and an Argument is Advanced that the Changing the Conversation Campaign May Have Been a Contributing Factor. in Conclusion, It is Important to Raise Awareness of the Care Penalty and to Identify Ways to Financially Compensate Workers Who Provide Substantial Unpriced Services Such as Caring on the Job . the Future of Engineering Includes STEMpathy, which is the Explicit Integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math with Empathy (I.e., Human-Centered Design, Community-Engaged Design, Etc.). Therefore, the Solution to the Care Penalty is Not the Exclusion of Caring from Engineering. Rather the Solution Must Include the Innovation of Properly Pricing and Incorporating Caring as a Quality Factor of Engineering Work. This Solution Should Include Compensation with an Appropriate Financial Wage (Or Alternative Employment Benefit for Caring Service Provided)