Date of Award

4-24-2015

Document Type

Restricted Access Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Joyce Miller

Abstract

The importance of doctorate prepared transcultural nurses to be immersed in local communities is crucial in order to gain understanding in health disparities while building relationships. With the current changes in health care, the emphasis on community engagement is coming to the forefront. My project site was Silver Creek Corner, a residential facility for the chronic alcoholic and homeless adult, located in Rochester Minnesota. I attended weekly sober activities, built relationships with residents, and listened to their stories. I started out by just being present, observing and locating the culture each week, participating in sober activities with residents, and engaging in formal activities/celebrations during holidays, and birthdays. This then grew to connecting by participation as I introduced the activity of making greeting cards for the residents to communicate with their families. It ended with engaging or professional hanging out, using the informal activity of making greeting cards and listening to residents share stories about life and family. It is important for the advanced practice nurse to be open and listen without judgment. My project focused on residents connecting and communicating with their families. Each resident is an individual and has a story to share, and I had to be sure to remain open and show I cared, and embrace their emotions and explore their hopes with them.

Identifier

SC 11.DNP.2015.Guthmill.ML

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