Nurse Residency

This is a collection of work created by members of the New Graduate Nurse Residency Program of MaineHealth. This program serves as an adjunct to the traditional clinical orientation experience of one-on-one with a registered nurse preceptor.

Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing.

Switch View to Grid View Slideshow

The Benefits of Self-Care and Wellness

Tara Nau

Among practicing nurses, does participation in health-promoting self-care and lifestyle interventions improve their health behaviors and well-being compared to those who do not engage in such interventions?
The Effects of Care Handoffs and Hospital-Wide Flow

Abbey Siulinski BSN, Kaitlyn Leavitt RN, Ryan Pullen BSN, and Katie Schmid BSN

PICOT Question: In admitted patients, do timely nurse to nurse reports vs delays in care handoff negatively affect patient care and outcomes?
The Importance of Early Mobilization in the Inpatient Setting

Amanda Brawn

For hospital patients, how do early mobility interventions, compared to current practice (no intervention), affect their length of hospital stay and readmission rate?
Trans and Non-Binary Patient Satisfaction in Relation to Practitioner Education

Kristen Goodale

In trans and non-binary patients, how does the use of mandatory education modules compared to no specific mandatory education modules impact patients’ satisfaction, safety, and trust in the care they receive in the emergency department?
Treatment Protocol for Withdrawal of Alcohol

Kendra Bishop, Simone Lauture, Benita Ehomo, and Andrey Popov

PICOT Question: In patients experiencing or at risk for alcohol withdrawal, how does Phenobarbital protocol compared to standard protocol (use of Benzodiazepines) affect patient detox experience and outcome within their hospitalization?
Virtual Reality in Pain Management and its Role in Replacing Traditional Pharmacological Therapies

Jessica Dupler RN BSN and Morgen Allain RN BSN

PICOT Question: In the adult inpatient population does engaging in virtual reality manage pain in a significant way?
Labor & Delivery EBP Project: Reducing Implicit Bias in Nursing as a Way to Decrease Maternal Racial Health Disparities and Improve Outcomes

Julianne Andreades and Robin Illian

Introduction/Background:

• Maternal mortality for Black birthing people in the United States is 3X higher than it is for white birthing people (CDC, 2022).

• Racism, including implicit bias, is a driver of these disparities (CDC, 2022).

• Research has shown that clinicians' implicit bias, defined as unconscious attitudes and beliefs that impact behaviors, affects treatment decisions and patient outcomes (Groves et al., 2021 and Siden et al., 2022).
The Effects of Care Handoffs and Hospital-Wide Flow

Abbey Siulinski, Kaitlyn Leavitt, Ryan Pullen, and Katie Schmid

Introduction: Observed extended boarding of admitted patients and increased length of stay in the ED due to delay in handoff resulting in decreased ability to provide full extent of care.
Turn and Stay Turned

Whitney Brown

Does the use of specialized positioning tools compared to standard hospital pillows improve the degree of turn achieved and maintained in patients requiring regular turns to offload pressure?
Virtual Reality in Pain Management

Morgen Allain and Jessica Dupler

Problem description:

Pharmacologically managed pain is a substantial component of inpatient, bedside nursing. Many of these drugs have side effects that are counterproductive to health and healing. Technological advancements have made virtual reality available on the consumer market, could they help manage pain without side effects?
Smoke Evacuation in the Operating Room

Meghan Holley and McKenzie Moon

In perioperative staff, does mandating the use of smoke evacuation in the surgical setting compared to no smoke evacuation decrease the amount of exposure to toxic byproducts found in surgical plume for each surgical case?
Evidence-Based Diabetes Exercise Intervention

Laura Smith

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic, noninfectious disease that affects a large population of adults in the world. Typically, it is associated with obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and the consumption of undesirable meals (Nakrani et al., 2020/2023). Even with various treatments available for type 2 diabetes, most patients find it challenging to maintain a steady blood glucose level.
Fall Rates in Patient Populations with Remote Video Monitoring Compared to Companions

Alexandra Volpe and Catherine Close

Background: Healthcare facilities are constantly searching for new and improved interventions to minimize injury and fall rates within their units. 1:1 companions, or ‘sitters’, have been used to provide the patient with close monitoring in order to accomplish these goals. However, companions are not always a liable option for facilities due to poor staffing and increased expense in order to staff a ratio of 1 companion to 1 patient. Research has started to develop on the benefits of remote video monitoring, or ‘telesitting’, as an intervention to minimize fall risk and injury.
HELP Programs Impact on Delirium

Abigail Holt

Background: Delirium is a condition that affects 1/3 of patients in the hospital. It is a condition that is preventable and reversible.
How Environment of Care Standards Impact Patient Satisfaction

Taylor Tantingco and Raeven Bilugan

Background: Environment of Care (EOC) are standards of care that revolve around the safety and well-being of both the staff and the patient.

EOC takes into account variables such as a clean environment, basic standards of care (ADLs), and access to resources/materials.
Improving Nurse-Provider Communication

Caitlin Martel-Harrington and Martha Mary Lane

Background: Ineffective communication among healthcare staff has been shown to cause an increase in errors and decrease in patient satisfaction.
Improving the Balance Between Patient Satisfaction and Efficient ED Throughput

Jessica Graham and Izzi Marceau

Background: Patients come into the Emergency Department (ED)when they are having an emergent health concern. One role of the ED nurse is balancing the patient expectations of care with ensuring the flow of the department. The studies reviewed here examine the way that ED nurses can help to coordinate realistic expectations for patients as they are waiting to be seen.
In patients aged 70 and above, male and female, how does the length of stay after treatment compared to early discharge impact the patient's level of orientation?

Amanda Ames, Caitlin Chasse, and Jamie Beaupre

Background: The length of stay after treatment can put patients’ health and well-being at a disadvantage. Length of stay can not only cause delirium but can also have detrimental impacts on pre-existing comorbidities. By decreasing a patient's length of stay following the completion of treatment, there are lower levels of adverse outcomes that not only benefit the patient but also those around them.
Purewick Versus Foley Catheters

Ashleigh Lunt, Grace Tibbetts, and Tia Hufstader

Background: A Foley catheter is an indwelling urinary drainage device that is placed in a patient's urethra and remains in their bladder, continuously draining urine into a bag. In hospital settings, there are many indications for indwelling catheters such as strict I&O monitoring, incontinence, retention, end of life comfort, surgery, and immobility.
Roommates and Privacy: An Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction with Shared Rooms in Medical-Surgical Units

Michelle Tope and James Wiesen

BACKGROUND: Two patients often share a hospital room on medical-surgical floors. However, this arrangement does not consider the patients’ subjective sense of privacy, comfort, or quality of sleep. When those needs are unmet, patients are less satisfied with their hospital stay. There is some research on patient’s preference for private rooms versus shared rooms.
The Benefits of Simulation-Based Training

Brooke Taylor

Background: Due to COVID-19, many hospitals shut down their in-person classes and simulated trainings. This has had a negative impact on the education of our new graduate nurses.
The Comparison Between Chlorhexidine and Povidone-Iodine Antiseptics in the Operating Room to Prevent Surgical Site Infections

Eleanor Decarolis

Background: Surgical site infections (SSI's) are one of the most common and costly complications from surgery. Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) and Povidione-Iodine (PVI) are the most common antiseptics used in surgery. The efficacy and uses of these surgical preps have been studied to determine the most effective in preventing surgical site infections.
The Impact of Prone Ventilation Among Patients Diagnosed with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Mary Steward and Kimberly Loomis

Background Mechanical ventilation is a commonICU intervention for patients in respiratory distress. Proning is a form of mechanical ventilation that has been recently studied which improves gas exchange and lung perfusion among patients specifically diagnosed with ARDS.
Use of Language-Adapted Resources in the Non-English Speaking Patient Population

Jenny Lansing and Emma Dubois

Background: Across the healthcare field, it is essential that patients and families can both communicate and understand the care they receive. A lack in this can lead to delays in care, missed findings, unnecessary care and costs, and even preventable emergencies. Limited research surrounds the impact that language barriers pose as well as methods to address this.
An Evaluation of Peripheral Nerve Stimulation When Monitoring ICU Patients Requiring Chemical Paralysis

Justin Moscone, Tomas Gibbons, and Anna Walker

In ICU patients receiving infusions of vecuronium or cisatracurium, is a clinical assessment-based titration model compared to a train-of-four titration model more effective when monitoring paralysis?
Burnout in Healthcare

Katie Bernard RN BSN, Kiana Fuller RN ADN, and Ashley Rhoades RN BSN

In a hospital setting, are nurses who practice coping strategies at a lower risk for nurse burnout then nurses who do not?
Comparing the Efficacy of Different Wound Care Modalities (topical solution) in the Prevention of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa growth in Burn Soft Tissue Populations

Suzy Bryan BSN RN, Hajra Chand BSN RN, Brooke Sorbello BSN RN, Kiah Newton BSN RN, and Grace Boisvert BSN RN

The purpose of this project is to gain a deeper understanding of the treatment modalities used on R3, and why certain treatment soaks are more effective methods at promoting wound healing and prevention of Pseudomonas colonization in BST patients.
Constipation in Postoperative Cardiovascular Patients

Jessica Diaz BSN, Samuel Mulunda RN, Jacob Rudolph RN, and Emily Lovejoy RN

Would postoperative cardiovascular patients that receive a preoperative bowel preparation as opposed to those who receive no bowel prep have a shorter ICU stay and less complications postoperatively?
Effect of Stop-Cocks in Reducing Post-Procedure Femoral Access Complications

Alessia Toohey RN, Ross Underwood RN, and Clare Zorena RN

n patients undergoing cardiac procedures requiring femoral artery access, does the use of stop-cocks with figure-8 stitches in femoral access closure compared to standard closure methods without these techniques reduce the incidence of post-procedure complications such as bleeding and hematoma within 24 to 48 hours post procedure?
Effects of Providing Discharge Instructions in Native Language

Samantha Hogan RN; Julia Latham RN, BSN; Kimberly Phelps RN; and Eli Seeman Rn, BSN

How effective is providing discharge instructions in native language for patients with limited English proficiency on decreasing adverse events when compared to those instructions provided in written English?
How Can We Improve How Delirium is Managed in Acute Care?

Lauren Wargo RN, Kaylyn Ritchie RN, and Jillian Lefebvre RN

In the acute care population, does assessing the patient's risk factors for delirium upon admission and daily, as well as implementing evidence based preventative measures based upon risk factors, reduce the incidence and duration of delirium compared to the patient that is not screened for risk factors and does not have preventative measures implemented?
Impact of Gum Chewing on Return of Gastrointestinal Motility in Postoperative Colorectal Surgery Patients

Cheryl Kaufman RN

PICOT Question: In postoperative colorectal surgery patients, how does gum chewing versus non-gum chewing beginning post op day one impact the return of gastric motility and the prevention of postoperative ileus?
Improving Outcomes: Preoperative Education in Cardiac Surgery

Carson Dyer RN, BSN and Odette Zouri RN, BSN

In patients undergoing cardiac surgery, does preoperative teaching vs. no preoperative teaching decrease anxiety and increase adherence to changes in lifestyle during the postoperative period?
Initiation of J-tube

Emily Bolduc, Olivia Lagace, Megan Dunn, Lauren Long, and Rolanda Nubuor

How does the initiation of J-Tube feeds affect the postoperative care plan of an esophagectomy patient?
Mental Health in Emergency Nursing

Devyn Taylor RN, BSN

In emergency nursing, how does the early provision of mental health care and interventions compared to lack of such care impact the occurrence of early burnout?
Mental Health Interventions for the High-Risk Antepartum Inpatient Population

Mary Halle BSN, RN

In the high-risk antepartum patient population, do tailored mental health interventions, compared to routine intervention, improve patients’ overall mental well-being during inpatient hospitalization?
No Longer NPO at Midnight for Heart Catheterizations

Danica Brassbridge RN, BSN; Jessica Creelman RN, BSN; and Dominique Smith RN, BSN

Does keeping cardiac catheterization patients NPO at midnight significantly reduce their adverse outcomes compared to those who are able to have clear liquids four hours pre procedure?
Nurse and CNA Communication/Delegation

Maddi Michaud BSN, RN; Alexis Witham BSN, RN; and Katie O'Donnell BSN, RN

Does having RN and CNA quality communication/delegation opposed to lack of/poor communication improve staff performance, satisfaction and patient outcomes?
Oral Care and Oral Hygiene

Margaret Yenna RN, BSN and Shelby Morin RN, BSN

In adults hospitalized oncology patients undergoing medical care, does doing oral care reduce incidents with oral complication compared to those who do not receive mouth care?
Postoperative Pain: Numerical Scale vs. Subjective

Megan Lenihan BSN, RN; Amanda Moffo BSN, RN; and Emily Young BSN, RN

In a post-op patient, what is the effectiveness of a numerical pain scale, compared to a subjective pain scale, when it comes to proper pain management?
Preventing Delirium in Hospitalized Patients with Art and Diversional Activity

Natasha Fitzgerald RN, BSN and James Ozog RN, BSN

For patients in the inpatient hospital setting, does participating in diversional activities (e.g. arts and crafts, music, games) reduce the risk of onset of delirium, compared with patients without such activities?
Preventing Post Operative Complications with Early Ambulation

Eliza Helliwell RN, BSN; Shannon O'Roak RN, BSN; and Meghan Dadiego RN, BSN

In patients who undergo surgery, how does early mobilization following surgery prevent post operative complications and shorten their length of stay?
Reduction in Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries

Kelsey White BSN, RN and Kaley Rumery BSN, RN

In admitted in-patient adult patients, is the Braden scale assessment tool compared to other nursing interventions, more accurate in decreasing hospital acquired pressure injuries?
Reduction of Skin Breakdown with Early Indication of Low Braden Scale Score

Robert Inniss RN, BSN and Kendra Sloan

In adult patients being admitted to the hospital from the emergency department, will early indication of low Braden Scale scores and the use of an air mattress help prevent skin integrity breakdown/help prevent the further breakdown of skin in patients who already are experiencing skin breakdown?
Shared Decision Making: The Importance of Communicating with Guardians and Pediatric Patients

Kali Coyne RN, BSN; Kaitlynn Hutchins RN, BSN; Alyssa Albert RN, BSN; and Katy Ray RN, BSN

In pediatric patient who visit the emergency room, is including the child in shared decision making compared to having the parent be the surrogate decision maker more beneficial to the experience and satisfaction of the family?
Subcutaneous Anticoagulation Administration vs Ecchymosis

Ethan Langlois RN

In adult patients receiving subcutaneous anticoagulation, how does using a slow injection time and local cold application compared to standard practice affect bruising?
TAVR Closure Devices and Their Effect on Bedrest Time

Emily Curtis RN, Allie Gilbert RN, Morgan Jackson RN, Jaden Morin RN, and Shauna Riordan RN

In transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement patients, how do different bed rest times as well as different closure devices affect the patient outcomes postoperatively?
The Benefits of Psychosocial Interventions on the Inpatient Pediatric Population Diagnosed with Eating Disorders

Melissa Guzzi, Samantha Pelkey, Rebekah Reny, and Molly McCluskey

What is the effect of consistent, scheduled psychosocial interventions versus the absence of scheduled psychosocial interventions on the pediatric inpatient population diagnosed with eating disorders and requiring medical stabilization?
Trauma-Informed Care for NICU Parents

Emma Stahl BSN RN and Elise Tilton BSN RN

For parents of neonates that have been admitted to the NICU, does the use of trauma-informed care reduce the risk of parental stress/ trauma?
Uninterrupted Bedside Handoff Impact on Patient Care

Amina Nur RN, BSN; Kalli Grover RN, BSN; Kaela Godwin RN, BSN; and Sue Aubuchon RN

When addressing the needs of hospital inpatients(P), what is the effect of having an uninterrupted hand-off report(I) on patient care(C), compared to one that is delayed or interrupted by addressing emergent patient needs(O) during the shift change hand-off reporting(T)?

Browse

Search

Links

Resources