Student Research Conference

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Ethics of Media Coverage for an Ebola Outbreak in the U.S. a Public Health Prospective
Ebola first emerged in 1976, from deep within the wilderness of Kenya, along the Congolese River. In 2014, the largest Ebola outbreak occurred since the initial onset. Although the outbreak has primarily been contained to West African countries, the possibility that an outbreak could occur on U.S. soil became a reality. When infected American health care workers were evacuated from West Africa to receive treatment in the U.S., Ebola became a common household topic. Despite the limited number of cases, a large amount of speculation and hysteria surrounded the issue, creating a false illusion of danger. The public’s reaction has made it clear that preparedness should not be limited to the medical field. Considering that 90% of Americans gets their news from mainstream media, news anchors inherently have the power to mold the public's response in a public health crisis (API, 2015). They have influence to create a situation of frenzy or calmness. Due to this, a comprehensive preparedness plan must address the communication of a public health emergency. There are difficult moral questions public health professionals must address in order to uphold an ethical and moral presentation of disease. Our research will produce a set of ethical procedures to implement during an epidemic, which include individual privacy and the rights of the media to report on speculated cases of Ebola during an epidemic. This presentation will analyze how the media handled the case of Thomas Eric Duncan while using the ethical reporting guidelines utilizing the Mental Noise Theory.
Evaluating Homeless Services Available in Washington D.C.
The purpose of this research was to explore the homeless population in Washington D.C. and the United States then report on the extent of shelters and homeless services available in Washington, D.C. A literature review was conducted to examine the scope and magnitude of homelessness in the United States and in Washington, D.C. over the last ten years. Prevalence rates were identified and several epidemiological indicators of homelessness were obtained, including who is most likely to be homeless, where homelessness occurs most, and what are the time trends in homelessness rates. Second, the availability and accessibility of services for homeless persons in Washington, D.C. was explored. This analysis included identifying the active homeless shelters within D.C. and their spatial relation within the District. The homeless shelters were organized by the services offered, who they were available too, and what times they were open. In January, 2015 there were over 564,000 homeless people in America which has been gradually decreasing over the last few years. Homelessness is a public health issue. Washington D.C. has the highest rate of homelessness in the entire Nation with almost 120 homeless per 10,000 people compared to the national average of 18.3. It was concluded that Washington, D.C. has many homeless services available for this population, including the largest homeless shelter in the United States. By implementing preventative measures to keep people out of homelessness as well as increasing the services available to people currently homeless, Washington, D.C. will continue to lower the homeless rate one year at a time.
Evaluating the Performance of Stocks Recommended by Investor’s Business Daily
This research project evaluates the performance of the Investor’s Business Daily (IBD)’s recommended stock list compared to the performance of broad stock market indexes. The IBD list is a weekly list of stock recommendations that is published the IBD newspaper. The purpose of this study is to prove the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). The efficient market hypothesis states that the best performance the common individual investor can achieve is to match the market. “The EMH generally believes that securities markets are extremely efficient in reflecting information about individual stocks an about the stock market as a whole. The accepted view is that when information arises, the news spreads very quickly and is incorporated into the process of securities without delay.”1This hypothesis affects the way investors behave. If the market were to be so efficient, then there would be no need to hire fund managers and financial advisors to make a portfolio receiving a commission fee; investors can rather invest in market indexes. In this research project, if the Efficient Market Hypothesis holds to be true, then the IBD list as a portfolio should not be able to outperform the market.There are two methods used in this study: comparing the 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month return of this portfolio with the return of the market captured by the return of market indexes. (NASDAQ 100 and S&P 500 are the two market indexes used in this study) The second method is to utilize the CAPM (Capital Asset Pricing Model)formula to obtain the expected rate of return of the specific stocks and compare them with the actual 1-month, 3-month and 6-month return. If the expected rate of return is greater than the actual return, it means that the company did not perform as well as what is expected by the investors who based their expectations on the market. In this project, I found that the stock market indexes outperformed the IBD list portfolio, and expected rate of return derived from the CAPM formula was greater than the actual return of the IBD portfolio. My research supports the Efficient Market Hypothesis by reflecting “real-world” out performance of the market indexes over the IBD portfolio. It suggests that it is very difficult to beat the market, and investors should be careful when taking advice from investment newspapers such as the Investor’s Business Daily.
The Experiences of College Students Participating in a Service Program in Jamaica
Service abroad programs for college students have gained popularity in recent years (Vodopivec & Jaffe, 2011). Whereas a number of studies showed positive effects for the volunteers, further research is needed to examine in detail the students’ understanding of their service, as well as, their learning experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study was an in-depth exploration of the experiences of college students participating in the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program in Jamaica, a service trip organized by Marymount University’s campus ministry. A phenomenological approach was used to examine the lived experiences of college students’ ASB. The purpose of the program was to allow students to engage in service while visiting patients at a hospital, residents of three infirmaries, and the shut-ins in their homes (members of a congregation who could not leave their homes due to illness or disability to attend church services). The results revealed a two-way impact of the program. According to the participants, they not only positively impacted the people they visited, but also gained a lot themselves. In line with the university’s vision based on intellectual curiosity, service to others, and a global perspective, the findings indicated that this service program provided an excellent opportunity for college students to serve and learn within the framework of religious compassion. The findings provided implications for other pedagogical practices incorporating learning and service to prepare students for careers in a global environment.
Exploring the Performance Outcomes of Senior Level Nursing Students in a Multiple Patient Simulation
The new nurse graduate must be prepared for the complexities of the workplace. Research has shown a gap in transition from education to practice highlighting the importance that experience plays in providing safe and effective care. This exploratory study used a multiple patient simulation, where the student managed the care of three simulated patients at one time, to investigate their ability to utilize surveillance, to identify subtle cues of patient deterioration and to take action to manage a complication. The methodology was guided by the National League for Nursing (NLN)/Jeffries Simulation Framework because of the positive correlation between simulation design and student outcomes. Twelve students volunteered for the role of primary nurse and were the source for data collection. Performance outcomes were evaluated by an independent rater who viewed videotapes of each student’s performance and measured the behaviors using the Seattle University Simulation Evaluation Tool. The evidence showed that the students focused on physical tasks such as applying oxygen without gathering enough clinical evidence to prioritize the plan of care. Delegation, communication and use of the health care team were areas in need of further development while an overwhelming workload emerged as the major barrier to managing care with competing demands. The findings from the study support the use of multiple patient simulation as a teaching-learning strategy to improve decision making, and ultimately the care provided to patients as a new graduate.
The feasibility of the KUH as an objective outcome measure in inpatient acute physical therapy
Background and Purpose In an Acute Care rehabilitation setting, one of the primary roles of physical therapists is to create an appropriate discharge plan for their patient. It is necessary for a therapist to be able to assess the patient’s level of function in order to predict their needs and potential for functional improvement quickly and accurately. Although there are many possible outcome measures that are available for this population, most are long, too difficult for low functioning patients, or cannot give a comprehensive idea of the patient’s needs within the time constraints of physical therapy evaluation. This case report attempts to analyze the Kansas University Hospital Physical Therapy Acute Care Functional Outcome Tool (KUH) to see if it is appropriate and useful for accessing patient functional level and for assisting in discharge planning in an acute care hospital setting. Case Description A chart review was conducted on a sample of acute care physical therapy patients who were accessed using the KUH outcome tool. The patient’s discharge location was compared to their KUH scores to determine if the outcome tool demonstrated a correlation between the patient’s level of function and discharge location. Outcomes and Discussion A significant difference was seen between those patients discharged to home with no further physical therapy needs and those requiring further physical therapy. No significant difference was seen in the KUH scores of those patients referred to further physical therapy at home or in a sub-acute rehabilitation facility. The KUH is an easy to use, functional outcome measure that appears to give an accurate assessment of whether a patient has the functional mobility to be discharged from inpatient acute care to home or is in need of further rehabilitation assistance.
Frugal Innovation
This project is to introduce and discuss the topic of frugal innovation and how it is affecting developing nations for the better. It is important because it is a fairly new concept, and many multinational corporations are using frugal innovation to reach new markets, while at the same time benefiting them. Methods: Some outcomes I plan to examine would be exactly how developing nations are benefiting from frugal innovation and how it may be used as a tool to improve the economic standpoint of these developing nations. It demonstrates how saturation of certain markets have led to corporations using new methods to reach untapped markets, while benefiting them. It also proves that something that is cheap does not necessarily mean it is of less quality.

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