During Newman Scholars Day Monday, Dec. 4, seniors presented their final presentations and research papers to fellow students, faculty and staff members.
With topics ranging from “Cardiovascular Prevention in Older Adults” to “Why Student Teachers Should Get Compensated,” Scholars Day allows students to combine their passions and research — resulting in the ultimate resumé booster.
Workplace bullying in the nursing profession
Katherine Webster shared her group research project, which explored the issue of bullying in the workplace within the nursing profession.
“One of our teachers talked about how nursing is one of the top professions where you see workplace bullying,” Webster said. “I was also shocked to learn that in the United States, a higher rate of workplace bullying was found compared to the European countries that were included in the study.”
As someone who has experienced workplace bullying firsthand, Webster found the topic important to share with others.
“One of the statistics we found was that new grad nurses are likely to leave the profession within the first six months after they start their new job,” she said. “Knowing this can happen helps you to not be as shocked.”
If it does happen, Webster said it’s important to “Stand up for yourself, talk to your manager and show them they can’t push you down.”
Health literacy and diabetic-related foot ulcer prevention
For individuals with Type 2 diabetes, foot ulcer prevention is essential. Nursing student Heather Ogbonna shared her research findings alongside fellow students Charity Siooh and Olamide Alabede during Scholars Day.
“Type 2 diabetes leads to a cascade of different thing and we want to help them prevent foot ulcers from forming,” Ogbonna said. “We’re working to educate our patients to not worsen the effects of the disease.”
For Siooh, the research project has prepared her to be an effective nurse.
“The patient’s safety is very important, and those patients need to understand the disease and the cost of the disease,” Siooh said. “For me as a nurse, to be able to educate them more effectively on how to prevent those situations is important.”
The breakdown of the middle class
In his Scholars Day presentation, “The Breakdown of the Middle Class,” finance major Andrew Stallard shared misconceptions and shifts within the middle class in the U.S.
“I was surprised to learn that since the early 2000s, we’ve shifted 70% of our jobs overseas instead of keeping them domestic,” Stallard said. “Around 2000, we see a major shift in manufacturing output in the billions and then, unemployment domestically from those closing of factories.”
Understanding the customer experience
Senior Ezekiel Kemboi, a business management and marketing major, shared what he learned from his research focused on understanding the customer experience.
“My biggest takeaway was how important customer experience is in the productivity and the long-term growth of a business,” Kemboi said.
“This project has prepared me with a better idea of how the customer experience should be managed, how I can play a part in managing that and making sure the customer knows that we care about them.”
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