Collections in this community

Recent Submissions

  • Remote Learning with Upward Bound: Evaluating Teenagers' Feelings Using Zoom

    Rivera, Ada; Sweeney, Michele (2020-08-01)
    With changes in online instruction, researchers have suggested a relationship between online drop-out rates and self-efficacy in online learning. During an undergraduate senior level internship experience, teenage students were provided six weeks of online mentoring in ELA, math, and science. Teenage students' feelings about their educational Zoom experience were recorded weekly. Students began the experience expressing concerns over technical issues and comfort with working remotely. At six weeks, mixed feelings over the online experience were still reported. Feelings of frustration, confusion, comfort and discouragement were evident. Final student responses indicated a preference for in-person programming rather than Zoom.
  • Food Scarcity On Salem State Campus: Promoting Student Use Of Campus Food Pantry

    Thistle, Julia; Sweeney, Michele (2020-12-01)
    In the United States, food insecurity is an ongoing issue that affects millions of individuals. College students are more susceptible to being affected by food insecurity. On-campus pantries are valuable resources for these students. The purpose of this undergraduate internship poster was to gain feedback from Salem State University (MA) students in order to improve their on-campus pantry. A survey was created to seek undergraduate opinions and information about the current pantry. Results showed that most students preferred fresh produce and to be notified on social media when food is delivered. By accommodating student needs, it is more likely that students will utilize the on-campus pantry and address issues of food insecurity.
  • The Risk of Patient Self Discharges: Improving High-Risk Patients' Rehabilitation

    Maginnis, Declan; Sweeney, Michele (2020-09-01)
    Addiction related literature suggests that people struggling with addiction do not always respect the rehabilitation process nor adhere to medical advice during the recovery process. The purpose of this senior-level undergraduate internship was to improve processes of a rehabilitation discussion group of high risk patients identified as potential risk of self-discharging against medical advice. After hours of observation and participation, changes were made by student intern & staff to improve identification of these high risk patients and improve attendance tracking. Attendance processes and revised curriculum were altered. As a result, case managers were able to lead improved group discussions. Direct conversations addressing patients' unique issues of concern were evident.
  • Pre-Procedure Benefits Of Interacting With Patients

    Bixby, Christine; Everitt, Amy (2020-12-01)
    This project was conducted to find out the impact of communication with patients before surgery. I was receiving multiple phone calls from patients because they had questions about their surgeries and how to follow pre/post-operative instructions. I began by making a list of frequently asked questions by patients. Also, brainstorming different solutions for them to ensure they fully understood what was needed of them to make for a successful recovery after eye surgery. After making some changes it was revealed that these patients were able to have all their questions answered concerning surgery and they were less likely to call the office with questions about pre-operative and post-operative care. Overall, I concluded that the impact of communicating with the patients before their surgery was highly effective.
  • Tackling Nutrition Literacy Among the Homeless: Providing Hope Through Healthy Food Habits Program

    Kanu, Umu; DeLeon, Patrice (2020-09-01)
    Bridgewell’s Recuperative Care Center is a medical respite care center that provides short-term residential care for individual who are sick and homeless. Individuals who are homeless experience challenges such as obtaining healthy food options. In a senior-level internship, this author’s goal was to educate a group of adults (50+ years old) whom are homeless about nutrition and how to read food labels. Participants (guests) completed pre- and post-surveys and were introduced to a nutrition program that discussed healthy food options upon discharge and the importance of understanding food labels. When the program concluded, 9 of the 11 guests felt that understanding food labels was important.
  • Educating the Black Community on Reproductive Justice: Reproductive Justice Virtual Discussion

    Celestin, Jewel; Sweeney, Michele (2020-08-01)
    Reproductive Justice is more than just reproductive rights. The term acknowledges equal access to safe abortion, affordable contraceptives and sex education, & freedom from sexual violence. In a senior level undergraduate internship, this author's goal was to educate the black community on Reproductive Justice in Dorchester, MA. A survey was distributed to ages 16-35. Inquires were made on the respondents sexual reproductive interests and level of knowledge. Survey results demonstrated a need for information on Maternal & Child Health, and interest in access to resources. Based on the responses, a virtual discussion was planned and conducted for the community. Attendees received access to family planning programs, youth programs, and free contraceptives and menstrual kits as a result of the discussion.
  • At Home Cognitive Workouts for TBI Patients: The Use of Journaling During a Pandemic

    Cuneo, Claudia; Everitt, Amy (2020-09-01)
    How do patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) persist with their cognitive rehabilitation during a pandemic? Journaling became an important aspect of the program provided by Supportive Living, a non-profit organization that provides residential and long-term wellness programs for survivors of TBI. This project represents how journaling was introduced, implemented and analyzed to determine cognitive improvements while patients were unable to attend typical exercise programs due to restrictions on the use of facilities during the COVID pandemic. A variety of cognitive exercises were completed by TBI patients who were then asked to journal their experience. The results of the journaling were used to track brain healing progress. Examples are shared in this presentation.
  • Computerized Cognitive Training: A Simple Tool To Build Confidence After Brain Injury

    Velez, Kellie; Waller, Kimberly (2020-12-01)
    After a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or acquired brain injury (ABI) it is common for individuals to have difficulty with attention, concentration, speech, problem solving and spatial awareness. This project represents how Computerized Cognitive Training (CCT) was introduced, implemented, and analyzed to see cognitive and physical improvement during their exercise program at Supportive Living Inc. Elevate and Peak were the apps utilized by the patients that adapted to their performance and abilities. The results have shown that after utilization there were improvements in their concentration, spatial awareness, motivation, and overall confidence.
  • The Social Emotional Impact of COVID-19: Evaluating Children's Protective Factors

    Burnham, Gloria; Sweeney, Michele (2020-08-01)
    During a pandemic of any kind, it is essential that strict attention be paid not only to children's physical health but also to the impact on children's mental health. This poster demonstrates the use of the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment to measure emotional social factors of early childhood students after a 4-month closure of a Head Start Program. The assessment first measured factors while children were attending the program pre-pandemic. Students spent the 4-month separation from the program at home until returning to the program in August 2020. This preliminary data suggests that children’s 4-month experience at home during the pandemic proved to show improvements in social emotional behavior.
  • "The HUB" At Chelsea Police Station: COVID-19 Isolation And Quarantine

    Betz, Kayla; Everitt, Amy (2020-12-01)
    Understanding how different areas of an individual's health may be impacted by different socioeconomic and environmental factors is important in order to provide comprehensive care. Interning at the HUB allowed me to break away from my current clinical experience and see first hand how individuals within our communities are often living and what might have gotten them there. I focused on "essential" workers in Chelsea, MA and researched how public health and safety intersect in a city plagued by crime and poverty. The following issues were identified as the most common challenges: housing, daycare/raising children, food insecurities, limited work and access to healthcare.
  • New England Center For Children: Stimulus Preference Assessment

    Pierre, Luchka; Waller, Kimberly (2020-12-01)
    An assessment such as an edible stimulus preference assessment is useful when needing to know what can be used to encourage a student with autism to do their work. Sometimes students are having an off day or aren’t feeling like doing work that day but when presented with something they like and being told they are able to receive it by continuing their work. Running this assessment helps those that work with the student know what reinforcements will persuade the student to continue their work. The assessment is set up with 56 trails with 8 different edibles and each edible is presented 7 times as well as switching from being presented on the left and right side. It was run in one session which is one hour with the student. Through the assessment, it was discovered that the student preferred sweet snacks over salty snacks. Through my interpretation, sweet snacks are highly preferred when working with this specific student, especially chocolate covered pretzels.
  • Bridgewell & Exploring New Tools For The Satisfaction Survey

    Noel, Jennifer; Waller, Kimberly (2020-12-01)
    Quality assurance is one of the key factors in assessing the quality of care in the Healthcare industry. This process involves collecting data from stakeholders and analyzing the results which determines the level of satisfaction. There are several tools used to retain this data some of the most common types include anonymous surveys. This study consists of exploring different data collecting tools that would involve gathering information in real time. Bridgewell's quality assurance department utilizes online - Survey Monkey as well as physical surveys to collect data from stakeholders. In this study, the survey was reconstructed on the Google Form platform and test runs were conducted to determine possible outcomes. This concluded that Google Forms was more convenient and would allow for frequent feedback compared to previous methods of collecting data. The significance for this project was to create a new tool that will allow Bridgewell the opportunity to access the quality of care and provide feedback more consistently.
  • The Greeter Program: Enhancing The Patient And Visitor Experience During COVID-19

    Romero, Sanlly; DeLeon, Patrice (2020-12-01)
    Prior to COVID-19, North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) implemented the Greeter Program at Salem Hospital to welcome and assist patients and visitors. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NSMC had to enhance their Greeter Program and implement new safety protocols. Greeters improved the patient and visitor experience by ensuring that everyone was screened, masked, and practiced proper handwashing. The purpose of my internship was to work with the marketing team to assist in the improvements to the Greeter Program. The poster shows some of the developments that were made to the program. It also shows data collected to determine whether the greeter station was more efficient when located inside or outside the hospital.
  • Bridgewell: Quality And Assurance For State Inspection

    Lopez, Kiana; Batten, Julie (2020-12-01)
    I have spent my internship at Bridgwell, a disability and recovery care facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where I learned to master record-keeping and quality control tools essential to adhering to state health and safety mandates. I also learned the importance of recognizing and respecting the patient's rights as I worked on their medical files in the eHana database. Overall, during my time at Bridgwell, I developed a better understanding of the challenges posed by state inspections, working remotely from home and maintaining patient independence & integrity by professionally accounting for their financial wellbeing.
  • Helping Others Through The Holidays: The Importance Of Relationship Building To Support Communities

    Jamison, Takyi; DeLeon, Patrice (2020-12-01)
    Low-income communities lack resources in the areas of education, healthcare, mental health, etc. These environments limit shoppers from purchasing healthy foods and in some cases any food at all. Commonwealth Mental Health and Wellness Center (CMHWC) is a comprehensive behavioral health and wellness clinic that provides the highest standard of care for its clientele while also meeting their diverse needs. The purpose of this senior level internship was to assist families in need with access to food items for Thanksgiving. Clients participated in a needs assessment to provide a better understanding of what each individual family needed. Donor and provider letters were sent out requesting donations for these families. A total of 50 families were provided with Thanksgiving holiday baskets during the 2020 giveaway.
  • The Phoenix Project: Rising From A Fallen Place

    Nwokeji, AJ; DeLeon, Patrice (2020-12-01)
    Disruptions in the brain otherwise known as Traumatic Brain Injuries are caused by strokes, oxygen deprivation and blows to the head. Depression is a common symptom of Traumatic Brain Injuries [TBI] or Acquired Brain Injuries [ABI]. The purpose of this senior level internship was to determine if there was any correlation in a decrease in depression symptoms and exercise among individuals with TBIs. Participants (n=4) completed pre- and post- surveys at the beginning and end of their workout program. 50% of the participants reported positive correlations between incorporating exercise into their routine as having a positive impact on their mental health.
  • Wellspring House MediClerk Training Program: Created A Resource Website For Students

    Martinez, Jessica; Waller, Kimberly (2020-12-01)
    The MediClerk Training Program is a Commonwealth of Massachusetts licensed occupational education program established in 2002. It is designed to enable North Shore adults, who are facing the impacts of income inequality, to develop the skills and professional networks needed to secure entry-level employment in health care administration and support roles. MediClerk and Wellspring House seek adults’ advancement to positions that offer a living wage. Health care is a critical sector on the North Shore with ample career-track opportunities. Access to entry level positions that are tied to career ladders can lead to financial self-sufficiency for individuals and families, opportunities to grow professionally, comprehensive benefits and other supports needed to maintain economic stability. They also assist the students with outside resources that they need assistance which are the following: food assistance, homelessness, unstable housing, domestic violence support, referrals to mental health providers, and much more. The purpose of this internship was to identify a way to provide the students and staff with resources that they will have easy access to. This author created a Google website with the most requested resources with the support and supervision of the students and site supervisor.
  • At Home Adaptive Workouts: How Fitness Can Help With Traumatic Brain Injuries

    Aroush, Helen; DeLeon, Patrice (2020-09-01)
    Traumatic Brain Injuries and Acquired Brain Injuries are disruptions in the brain caused by blows to the head, strokes, oxygen deprivation, and drug and alcohol use. The purpose of this senior level internship was to assist in the recovery of persons living with traumatic brain injuries and acquired brain injuries through adaptive at home workouts. Participants completed pre- and post-assessments of their short- and long-term workout goals. Each participant completed an individualized, tailored workout based on their abilities to assist in meeting their goals. Improvements were shown by an increase in repetitions and sets completed by each participant.