Conference Program & Schedule
Welcome from the Sigma Region 8 Coordinator
D'Ann Somerall DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC
On behalf of all chapter leaders for Region 8 (Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee) and the members of Sigma, I welcome you to the 7th Biennial Region 8 Conference. This time in our lives is truly an unprecedented as we are not together in person to greet each other, but we are virtually connecting. Our new normal has caused us to have to adjust many things in our lives, but the good thing for nurses is that we are used to thinking on our feet and making sound decisions quickly!
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Zeta Alpha chapter and Southern Adventist University Rho Iota chapter serve as our host chapters. Region 8 has a long history of hosting a regional biennial conference that offers the very best in continuing education and, even virtually, networking opportunities. Our conference theme is “Infuse Joy, “ which is in line with Sigma President Richard Ricciardi’s Presidential Call to Action for 2019-2021, highlights three essential elements – the ABCs – that promote joy: Awareness, Balance & Purpose, and Co-creation. Sigma members believe that the ability to experience joy, enthusiasm and renewed creativity in our practice settings (clinical, education, research, or policy) is fundamental to achieving Sigma’s vision of global nursing excellence.
The conference planning committee had to quickly change plans from an in-person two-day conference to a virtual one day conference while still holding to the core principle of hosting a conference consisting of chapter development sessions, educational sessions, and poster presentations. Dr. Priscilla Simms-Roberson and Dr. Ronda Christman, conference committee chairs, and the entire conference planning committee has been a joy to work with due to their eye on the prize focus and attention to detail.
Sigma’s 46th Biennial Convention will be hosted in Sigma’s home city, Indianapolis, IN, USA on November 6-10, 2021. This Convention will be historic as it will be the 100th Anniversary of Sigma. We will be having a HUGE birthday party. I hope to see each of you there to join in the celebrations.
Sincerely,
D’Ann Somerall, DNP, MAEd, FNP-BC, CRNP, FAANP
Sigma Region 8 Coordinator
Nu Chapter
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing
Conference Schedule
***Note: all times are Eastern
The official Conference Program has been emailed out to all registered attendees. If you have registered, but did not receive an email with the official Conference Program, please email priscilla-simms@utc.edu.
9am EST – 6pm EST
9:00-9:15 Welcome, Introductions, and Instructions
9:15-10:00 Keynote Speaker: Richard Ricciardi, PhD, CRNP, FAANP, FAAN
10:05-11:00 Breakout Session 1
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-12:10 Breakout Session 2
12:10-1:00 Lunch Break
1:00-1:45 Keynote Speaker: Patricia A. Patrician, PhD, RN, FAAN
1:50-2:45 Breakout Session 3
2:45-3:00 Break
3:00-3:55 Breakout Session 4
4:00-5:00 Virtual Poster Presentations
5:00-5:15 Closing announcements and CE instructions
5:15-6:00 “Quarantini” Virtual Networking...learn about Sigma from other Region 8 members!
Keynote Speakers
Richard Ricciardi, PhD, CRNP, FAANP, FAAN
Richard Ricciardi, CRNP, PhD, FAANP, FAAN is a Professor and Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement at The George Washington University School of Nursing. Prior to joining GW, Dr. Ricciardi served as the Director, Division of Practice Improvement and the Senior Advisor for Nursing at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Ricciardi served on active duty in the Army for 30 years, where he held numerous positions as a pediatric and family nurse practitioner, clinical scientist, and senior leader. In his last two assignments on active duty, Dr. Ricciardi served as Chief of Nursing Research at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and Director of Research at the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Dr. Ricciardi is the current President of Sigma Theta Tau International.
Patricia A. Patrician, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor & Rachel Z. Booth Endowed Chair Colonel, US Army (Retired)
Patricia A. Patrician, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a Professor and Rachel Z. Booth Endowed Chair in Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in Birmingham, Alabama. She joined the UAB faculty in August 2008 after having served 26 years in the US Army Nurse Corps, where she held clinical, administrative, educational, and research positions. Prior to military retirement, she was the Chief, Department of Nursing Science (now titled Dean, School of Nursing), Academy of Health Sciences, Ft. Sam Houston, TX. At UAB, she teaches and mentors students in the PhD and the Executive Doctorate of Nursing Practice Programs. She conducts research on the nursing workforce and nursing’s contributions to patient safety and quality outcomes. She is currently PI on a study of mortality, failure-to-rescue, and readmissions in military versus civilian acute care hospitals. Dr. Patrician is the Senior Nurse Faculty Scholar and Co-Director of the VA Quality Scholars (VAQS) fellowship program at the Birmingham, AL site. She is Co-Director of the Deep South Quality and Safety Regional Collaborative, Co-Director of the Sleep & Circadian pillar of the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, and Scientist at the Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education at UAB. Dr. Patrician earned a BSN from Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; a MSN in Critical Care Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, and a PhD in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
Conference Objectives
The 2020 conference theme is Infuse Joy, which is founded upon both the mission of
Sigma International and the 2019-2021 Presidential Call to Action:
Awareness, Balance & Purpose, Co-Creation
Objective #1: Spread awareness to encourage others to fulfill their professional role as nurses.
Objective #2: Achieve balance and purpose in life.
Objective #3: Create and nurture professional and personal relationships.
Conference Presenters
Poster Presentation
April Greenway, DNP, RN
Health Program Implementation in a Faith Based Organization
Presentation Description
A health program implemented in a faith based organization (FBO) provided an opportunity for community engagement while receiving education on health promotion. The goal was to identify if the health program in a FBO would result in a reduction in body mass index for participants.
Podium Presentation
Priscilla Simms-Roberson, DNP, APRN, NP-C, SANE-A
Violence Against Women: How Nurses Can Make a Positive Impact
Presentation Description
The purpose of this presentation is to educate nurses and other healthcare providers on: 1) screening recommendations for IPV, sexual assault, and human trafficking, 2) evidence-based screening tools to help identify victims of violence, and 3) methods of supporting a victim of violence.
Poster Presentation
Melissa Klamm, MSN, RN
Mary W. Stewart, PhD, RN
Promoting Autonomous Motivation for Physical Activity
Presentation Description
Making healthy behavior changes can be challenging for everyone. Lasting changes require more than information and risk awareness. Come explore how to increase autonomous motivation for healthy behaviors, specifically physical activity, for you and your patients. Nurses can have a major impact on health by promoting autonomous motivation.
Podium Presentation
Ryan Blue, RN, BSN, PhD Candidate
Janeane N. Anderson, PhD, MPH, Carolyn J. Graff, PhD, RN, Susan Eggly, PhD, Andrew J. Paladino, MS, and Ilana Graetz, PhD
A qualitative exploration of mental health and quality of life among Black breast cancer survivors
Presentation Description
Black women adhere to AET less than White women. Whether negative psychological effects play a role in this disparity is unclear. Over half of participants reported two or more depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that Black breast cancer survivors prescribed AET experience numerous psychological symptoms that negatively impact QoL and communication.
Podium Presentation
Marla Couture, DNP, ACNP-BC
Connie White-Williams, PhD, RN, NE-BC, FAAN, Reid Eagleson,BS, LSSGB, Lori A. Loan, PhD, RN, FAAN
Improving Medication Compliance in a Heart Failure Clinic
Presentation Description
Costs for treating patients with heart failure (HF) are skyrocketing. A comparative design was used to evaluate MC. Medication compliance was measured for 26 participants in either treatment (prefilled pillbox) group or comparison (standard care) group. Although MC was not significantly improved, participants in the treatment group reported feeling healthier.
Podium Presentation
Jenifer Prather, MPH, RN
Xueyuan Cao Ph.D., Drew Prescott, Brandon Baughman Ph.D., ABPP-CN, Ansley Grimes Stanfill, Ph.D., RN
Positive affect and well-being among subarachnoid hemorrhage patients at one-year post-stroke
Presentation Description
Positive affect and well-being influence long-term quality of life among subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) survivors and may be influenced by physical disability. Our findings suggest the need to include assessments of positive affect and well-being in stroke recovery and rehabilitation programs.
Poster Presentation
Amal Haji Assa, MSN, RN, PhD Student
Mona Wicks, Ph.D. RN, FAAN, Reba Umberger, PhD, RN, CCRN-K
State of the Science Review: Impact of Delirium among Family Caregivers in Critical Care Unit
Presentation Description
Delirium is a serious and common occurrence in intensive care units (ICU). Family involvement is encouraged in delirium management. However, family caregivers may experience distressing psychological effects associated with patients’ delirium. We conducted an SOS literature review to determine the needs and psychological impact of ICU delirium on family caregivers.
Podium Presentation
Reba Umberger, PhD, RN, CCRN-K
Amal Haji Assa, MSN, RN, PhD Student, Pam Harris, BSN, RN, PhD Student, Joseph Towner, MSN, RN, DNP Student
Coping, Adapting, and Recovering Enhanced by Sharing (CARES) after sepsis: an operational study plan
Presentation Description
Sepsis is a serious and life-threatening illness with potentially devastating long-term effects. We describe a research plan to better understand the trajectory of recovery after sepsis, embedded within a peer support model to improve awareness and outcomes for sepsis survivors and their informal caregivers.
Podium Presentation
Pam Harris, BSN, RN, PhD student
Reba Umberger, PhD, RN, CCRN-K
A Phenomenological Study of Nurses Perspectives on Factors Related to Time of Early Sepsis Treatment
Presentation Description
Nurses are critical in early sepsis treatment. They are positioned to recognize early signs and symptoms of sepsis, as they spend more time with patients than any other healthcare personnel during their hospital stay. We will describe preliminary findings of nurses’ perspective pertaining to early or delayed sepsis treatment.
Podium Presentation
Carrie Bailey, PhD
Lynn Beeler
A Continuum of Care: Creativity with Clinical Placement
Presentation Description
This specialty course is designed to allow a small group (8 students) of senior level accelerated BSN students to experience adult trauma across the continuum of care. This experience will allow them to articulate the various professional roles involved in the care of trauma patients from point of injury through rehabilitation. The student will observe and interact with the interdisciplinary team who cares for adult trauma patients from the prehospital scene of injury to the emergency department, TSICU, step-down nursing unit and in-patient rehabilitation.
Podium Presentation
Leslie Arnold, DNP, RN
Medical Response Team Implementation in a Faith Based Organization
Presentation Description
Faith based organizations (FBO) throughout the region have had situations where someone needed assistance while waiting for emergency medical professionals to arrive. A medical response team was developed/implemented. Findings suggest it is valuable that a dedicated team know where emergency equipment is located and how to use it.
Podium Presentation
Dr. Melissa Duckett, DNP, MSN, RN, CCRN
Dr. Lori Hill EdD, MSN, RN
A Safe Space for Novice Nurse Educators
Presentation Description
The National League for Nursing (NLN) in 2006 developed a position statement on Mentoring of Nurse Faculty. It was determined that mentoring nurse faculty would promote a healthy work environment and foster faculty development. Mentoring programs help foster healthy work environments and encourage the development of professional and personal relationships.
Podium Presentation
Dr. Melissa Duckett, DNP, MSN, RN, CCRN
Building a Caring Community While Being Present in Your Online Course
Presentation Description
One key element in adhering to best practices for online education is being present within the course. Building relationships with students is essential. This presentation will explore how nurse educators can show their presence in an online environment and engage their students to enhance their learning through creating online communities.
Podium Presentation
Margaret Harvey, PhD, APRN, ACNP-BC, CHFN
A Model for APN and Physician Collaboration in a University Hospital Setting
Presentation Description
Purpose: To describe a successful academic clinical partnership with APN’s and a cardiology teaching service. Significance: To create professional relationships and multidisciplinary collaboration. Methodology: Identify a change agent, define discrete APN roles, and facilitate precepting DNP students. Results: This multidisciplinary collaboration approach to care exemplifies co-creation and team-based care.
Podium Presentation
LaWanda Baskin, Ph.D., FNP-C
Patient advocacy: Resolving ethical issues for patients with chronic illness in the emergency department
Presentation Description
Ethical issues may arise for patients that use the emergency department (ED) for chronic care management. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss how nurses infuse joy by acting as a patient advocate to resolve these ethical issues for patients that use the ED for chronic care management.
Podium Presentation
Carole D. Liske, PhD, MS, RN
Jasmine Hoggle, DNP, CRNP, Heidi Johnson-Anderson, EdD, MSN, RN, Laura Simmons, PhD, RN, CNE
Creating Joyful Teams: An Evidence-Based Approach to Enculturate Faculty in an Environment of Academic Excellence
Presentation Description
Joy in professional work is a driver of nursing satisfaction, quality outcomes, and enhanced performance. This presentation describes an innovative orientation and professional development initiative that empowers new faculty to customize their orientation and allows existing faculty to incorporate evidence-based practices to develop and sustain a joyful professional work culture.
Podium Presentation
Beth Scott, PhD, MSN, RN
Regina Lankford, MSN, RN, Selina Charniya, MSN, FNP-BC
Assessing the Effect of Aromatherapy on Fundamental Nursing Students Cognitive Test Anxiety
Presentation Description
The demanding nature of the nursing curriculum, long hours of studying, and balancing of personal responsibilities causes high test anxiety among nursing students. This is because failure in a course may result in loss of time and monetary investment, which causes delay in financial gain in the future (Chamine, & Oken, 2016, Tagher & Robinson, 2016, Johnson, 2014, McCaffrey et al, 2009, Bemnutty, 2008). Essential oils have been used to stimulate the immune system, improve circulation, and improve mental health as well as an improvement in cognitive performance during testing (Huang & Capdevila, 2017, Trambert et al, 2017, Muller &Bartz, 2016).
Poster Presentation
Ronda M. Christman, PhD, MSN, RN
Lucas G. Valeca, BSN, Sonia K. Wrate, MSN, RN, Marla Erskine, MSN, Andrew Richards PhD, RN, Christine A. Moniyung, PhD, APN, FNP-BC, Mandy Sharpe, DPT, Laura Racovita-Szylagi, PhD, MSW, Jill Buchholz, DNP, RN, & Barbara R. James, PhD, CNE
Student’s Perceptions of a Co-Created Multi Patient Collaborative Practice Simulation
Presentation Description
This presentation highlights findings from a study exploring perceptions of interactions with and from other roles following a co-created Interprofessional Collaborative Practice simulation. Mixed methods using an online survey was emailed to participants (N = 287). The majority reported they interacted appropriately with and from other roles.
Podium Presentation
Ronda M. Christman, PhD, MSN, RN
Chris Ramsey, MBA, Michelle Youngblood, MSN, RN
A Co-Created Minority Health Fair
Presentation Description
This study describes how a minority health fair was created in one community with various community partners. Co-creating a minority health fair, has brought together healthcare providers from all different venues. Come hear how to co-create a minority health fair in your area.
Podium Presentation
Elizabeth J. Scott
Ronda M. Christman, PhD, MSN, RN, Gary Bradley, PhD, Liane de Souza, PhD, Rachel Williams-Smith, PhD, EdD, Rebecca L. Retzer, MSN, RN, Laura Racovita, PhD, MSW, Faith A. Laughlin, EdD, Sonia K. Wrate, MSN, RN, & Cynthia F.M. Gettys, PhD
Co-creation of an Emergency Preparedness Interprofessional collaborative practice simulation
Presentation Description
As disasters become more frequent, it is important that people have increased awareness to be ready to respond. A co-created simulation where university students and community volunteers learn with and from each other during a disaster simulation. Learn how participant’s perceptions of confidence to respond and civic engagement have changed.
Podium Presentation
Kristina Hall, PhD, RN
Ronda M. Christman, PhD, RN, Elizabeth J. Scott, PhD, RN, Ronald Mitchell, PhD, RN, Gary Bradley, PhD, Andrew Richards, PhD, RN, Cynthia Booher, PhD, MSN, RN, Dionne Felix, PhD, and Rachel Williams-Smith, PhD
Pursuing Balance and Purpose: Multi-University Students' Perception of Time Spent Sleeping, on Social Media, and Self-care Activities
Presentation Description
Though often overlooked in our fast-paced world, nurturing personal health and well-being promotes professional balance and purpose, thus enabling nurses to instill joy. Multi-university students' perceptions of self-care, sleep, and social media use were explored in order to understand students’ preparation to successfully transition to a balanced and purposeful career.
Podium Presentation
Ashlyn Barnes
Dr. Ellen Buckner
Virtual Joy: An Online Asthma Camp to Promote Self-Management & Wellness
Presentation Description
The Virtual Young Teen Asthma and Wellness Camp was created to evaluate the self-management and wellness of youth with asthma, with a goal of educating participants and improving their self-management and wellness. This virtual camp is groundbreaking and has the potential to become a standard protocol that can be replicated.
Podium Presentation
Michelle Harrison, MSN, MBAHCA, RNC
Carolyn Graff, PhD, RN, FAAIDD
Reconnecting with Our Purpose as Maternal Child Health Nurses: A Review of Literature
Presentation Description
The “Year of the Nurse and Midwife” provides opportunities for maternal-child nurses to celebrate and reflect on their impact on health inequalities among women and children of color. This review of literature examines the impact of maternal-child nursing on health disparities and reconnects nurses with their purpose in professional practice.
Poster Presentation
Laura Barrow, PhD, MSN, RN, Assistant Professor of Nursing
Kim Helms, DHEd, MSN, RN, CNE, COI, CFD, Laura Pruitt Walker DHEd, MSN, RN, CNE, COI, CCTP
Self-Care and Stress Management for Health Care Providers during Crisis Situations
Presentation Description
Many healthcare providers find it difficult to take time to care for themselves and to manage stress on a daily basis. The purpose of this presentation is to provide tools and education for health care providers to use on a daily basis in order to minimize the impact of crisis situations and to promote healthy coping behaviors during these times.
Podium Presentation
Adelais Markaki, APRN-BC, PhD
Ong-on Prajankett, RN, MSN, EdD
Community-based elderly care: impact of US and Thai advanced practice nurses
Presentation Description
The Integrated People-Centered Health Services framework offers a universal roadmap for community-based elderly care delivery and policy development. A systematic literature review of advanced practice nursing in the US and Thailand showed similarities and differences. Evidence of advanced practice nurses’ impact in promoting healthy aging and managing chronic conditions emerged.
Podium Presentation
Kristen McVerry, MSN, RN-BC
Karen Eickholt, MSN, RN, Sarah Charles, MS, RN, CNE
Promoting Self-Care for Faculty in a Virtual Setting
Presentation Description
The project encouraged faculty to embrace and engage in work/life balance. Faculty met online on a biweekly basis to discuss, explore, and share self-care ideas and collaborate on ways to use self-care as a means to better support student interactions and to foster team-building in a virtual setting.
Podium Presentation
Farron Kilburn, MA
Amber Roache', DNP, Mary Jo Blanton, FNP, Chris Ramsey, MBA
An Academic-Community Partnership Model: Partnering to Reduce Health Disparities and Enhance Education
Presentation Description
This case study provides a replicable collaborative model—where both a School of Nursing and community agency are participatory in establishing and defining the terms of partnership as equals—that fills gaps in both NP education and community healthcare.
Podium Presentation
Christine Moniyung, PhD
Ronda M. Christman, PhD, MSN, Lucas Valencia, BSN, Barbara R. James, PhD, CNE
Difference in Perceptual Salience Regarding Acquisition of Collaborative Dispositions Between New Graduate Nursing Cohort Following High-Fidelity Clinical Simulation
Presentation Description
Awareness: widespread disparities in disease morbidity and mortality exists throughout local and domestic communities. Balance & Purpose: alleviation of health inequity necessitates nuanced approaches in nursing care innovation, educational awareness, and forging collaborative and academic relationships. Co-creation: restoration of health and wellbeing across all communities disseminates insurmountable joy throughout society.
Poster Presentation
Ana Lambert, RN, MSN, NE-BC
Project HEART: Impact of Risk Stratification and Protocol-Driven Care on Disposition, Cost, Length of Stay, Readmission and Appropriateness of Care in Adults with Chest Pain
Presentation Description
Despite improvement efforts, variations remain in the evaluation and disposition of the observation chest pain patient population. Evidence suggests the use of risk stratification and protocol-driven care to mitigate these issues. This study employs a pre- and post-intervention design to examine the effectiveness of such interventions.
Podium Presentation
Elizabeth Grace McNaughton, RN-BSN
Sexually Transmitted Infection Awareness in the Adolescent Patient
Presentation Description
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk assessment tool among adolescents and how it effects their sexual health.