· You must respond to at least two of your peers by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts and supporting your opinion with a reference. Response posts must be at least 150 words. Your response (reply) posts are worth 2 points (1 point per response). Your post will include a salutation, response (150 words), and a reference. · Quotes “…” cannot be used at a higher learning level for your assignments, so sentences need to be paraphrased and referenced. · Acceptable references include scholarly journal articles or primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions), journal articles, and books published in the last five years—no websites or videos to be referenced without prior approval · Responses must be posted in APA format for Canvas to receive full grades. Automatic deduction of 10% if not completed. Worldview & Decision-Making Sejal Patel St. Thomas University NUR 421: Nursing Practice in Multicultural Society Professor Kathleen Price November 02, 2021 Worldview & Decision-Making The sudden neurological injury that is not likely to recover puts the person in denial if the person is somewhat conscious. It is hard to accept for even family that sudden change in care given stage. Those patients have physical problems like paralysis of facial muscles or losing sensation in the face, altered sense of smell or taste, loss of vision, swallowing difficulties, dizziness, ringing in the ear, and hearing loss. They also have altered consciousness, intellectual problems, cognitive problems, Executive functioning problems, communication problems, behavioral changes, emotional changes, sensory problems, and degenerative issues. The majority of persons who have suffered substantial brain damage will need rehabilitation. They may have to relearn basic abilities like walking and to talk. The objective is to increase their ability to carry out everyday tasks. Rehabilitation includes a group of people who master different specialties to help patients maintain living activity. An occupational therapist, who supports the person learning, relearn or improving skills to perform everyday activities—a physical therapist who helps with mobility and relearning movement patterns, balance, and walking. The social worker or case manager facilitates access to service agencies, assists with care decisions and planning, and facilitates communication among various professionals, care providers, and family members. A rehabilitation nurse assists with discharge planning from a hospital or rehabilitation center by providing continuous rehabilitation care and services. Speech and language therapist supports the person to improve communication skills and use assistive communication devices if necessary. A recreational therapist helps the patient with Time management and leisure activities. We can also use music therapy and aroma therapy to relax patients who face incurable health conditions. Advance directives are an essential part of hea ...

1. · You must respond to at least two of your peers by extending,
refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts
and supporting your opinion with a reference. Response posts
must be at least 150 words. Your response (reply) posts are
worth 2 points (1 point per response). Your post will include a
salutation, response (150 words), and a reference.
· Quotes “…” cannot be used at a higher learning level for your
assignments, so sentences need to be paraphrased and
referenced.
· Acceptable references include scholarly journal articles or
primary legal sources (statutes, court opinions), journal articles,
and books published in the last five years—no websites or
videos to be referenced without prior approval
· Responses must be posted in APA format for Canvas to
receive full grades. Automatic deduction of 10% if not
completed.
Worldview & Decision-Making
Sejal Patel
St. Thomas University
NUR 421: Nursing Practice in Multicultural Society
Professor Kathleen Price
November 02, 2021
Worldview & Decision-Making
The sudden neurological injury that is not likely to recover puts
the person in denial if the person is somewhat conscious. It is

2. hard to accept for even family that sudden change in care given
stage. Those patients have physical problems like paralysis of
facial muscles or losing sensation in the face, altered sense of
smell or taste, loss of vision, swallowing difficulties, dizziness,
ringing in the ear, and hearing loss. They also have altered
consciousness, intellectual problems, cognitive problems,
Executive functioning problems, communication problems,
behavioral changes, emotional changes, sensory problems, and
degenerative issues.
The majority of persons who have suffered substantial brain
damage will need rehabilitation. They may have to relearn basic
abilities like walking and to talk. The objective is to increase
their ability to carry out everyday tasks. Rehabilitation includes
a group of people who master different specialties to help
patients maintain living activity. An occupational therapist, who
supports the person learning, relearn or improving skills to
perform everyday activities—a physical therapist who helps
with mobility and relearning movement patterns, balance, and
walking. The social worker or case manager facilitates access to
service agencies, assists with care decisions and planning, and
facilitates communication among various professionals, care
providers, and family members. A rehabilitation nurse assists
with discharge planning from a hospital or rehabilitation center
by providing continuous rehabilitation care and services.
Speech and language therapist supports the person to improve
communication skills and use assistive communication devices
if necessary. A recreational therapist helps the patient with
Time management and leisure activities. We can also use music
therapy and aroma therapy to relax patients who face incurable
health conditions.
Advance directives are an essential part of health care. No one
can predict when unanticipated medical complications may
occur. In a medical emergency, an Advance Directive can assist
loved ones and medical professionals in making critical
decisions. If you have an advance directive in place, it implies
that your health care wishes will be followed out even if you are

3. unable to express them. The health care proxy form is where
you can appoint a health care agent or someone close to you to
make health decisions for you when you cannot make them
yourself. Another great form to have is the living will; this form
explains your health wishes about end-of-life care, such as
palliative care. This form states what patients want, and it
makes it easier on your loved ones; this way, they do not have
to make daunting decisions. A Surrogate is a person close to a
family member who makes decisions on your behalf if you
cannot do it yourself and have not appointed anyone. Palliative
care is an essential part of end-of-life care. This includes
lowering suffering for people who are undergoing treatment for
incurable diseases. It also entails providing support to family
members who bear the pain of witnessing a loved one go
through such traumatic events. Physicians can't forecast
patients' treatment choices, but they can learn about their
preferences for surrogate decision-makers from the pre-made
advance directive.
References
Kass-Bartelmes, B. L., & Hughes, R. (2004). Advance care
planning: preferences for care at the end of life. Journal of pain
& palliative care pharmacotherapy, 18(1), 87-109.
Fischer, G. S., Tulsky, J. A., Rose, M. R., Siminoff, L. A., &
Arnold, R. M. (1998). Patient knowledge and physician
predictions of treatment preferences after discussion of advance
directives. Journal of general internal medicine, 13(7), 447-454.

4. Worldview and Decision-Making
Finance Joseph
St. Thomas University
NUR-421-AP3
Professor Kathleen Price
November 04, 2021
Worldview and Decision-Making
Physicians have a social commitment to sustain life and relieve
suffering from patients. However, patients have a big role to
play when it comes to deciding on life-sustaining treatment.
Sometimes the performance of one duty may conflict with the
other, and in that case, the patient's preferences need to prevail
(Kuosmanen, 2021). The principle of patient autonomy expects
physicians to respect the patient’s decision to forgo life-
sustaining treatment. Individually, I understand this principle,
and I know that I have a big role in making the big decision as
to why I need to undertake or forgo life-sustaining treatment in
the event I develop a medical condition that requires one.
Considering that sometimes a patient receiving life-sustaining
treatment could be incompetent and lack the capacity to the
capacity to make any decision regarding their condition, the
family becomes the surrogate decision-maker. Hence, I believe
that it is critical to discuss with close family members about
life-sustaining treatment in advance to prepare them to make the
right decision in case one develops the condition in the future.
An advance directive to close family members is vital and
mostly includes aspects such as a patient’s values about life,
including how life should be lived, and a patient’s beliefs and
values about suffering, sickness, death, and medical procedures.
Discussing with close family about my preference regarding the
named elements in advance is the first step of preparing them to
make the right decision that will suit my beliefs and values, in
case I develop a condition that has no cure but can be managed
by life-sustaining treatments.

5. Traumatic Brain Injury is one of the neurological conditions
that are managed through life-sustaining treatments. According
to Ng & Lee (2019), Traumatic Brain Injury occurs when there
is a disruption in the brain's normal function, which could be
caused by a bump, blow, or the head suddenly hitting an object.
Any individual can develop traumatic brain injury at any point
in their lives, and it is a life-changing situation for most
survivors. The treatment for traumatic brain injury includes life-
sustaining treatments on most occasions, especially if the
patient becomes paralyzed. A brain can be damaged in many
ways, and a damaged brain cannot be healed; however, the
patent can be given medical treatments that help to prevent
further damage and reduce the functional loss from the damage.
Brain injuries often result in disabilities, which are most likely
to persist for the rest of a patient’s life, especially if a patient
suffers from severe Traumatic Brain Injury (Williamson, Ryser,
& Ubel, 2020). These disabilities are usually managed by life-
sustaining treatments such as physical therapies. In the most
severe cases of traumatic brain injury, patients are left with
life-altering events, in which the physicians may need to guide
families through the challenging decisions regarding the
appropriate decisions or when to discontinue interventions in
favor of the patient’s quality of life. Preparing close families on
these matters may help them to fulfill my wishes in scenarios
where I develop a condition like TBI, which could hinder me to
make any decisions regarding my situation.
References
Kuosmanen, L. (2021). Patient participation in shared decision-
making in palliative care-an integrative review.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15866
Ng, S. N., & Lee, Y. W. (2019). Traumatic Brain Injuries:
Pathophysiology and Potential Therapeutic Targets.
https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2019.00528
Williamson, T., Ryser, M. D., & Ubel, P. A. (2020). Withdrawal
of Life-supporting Treatment in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2020.1790

6. Pracitcal Connections
"Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the
mind to think" (Grier, 2018,
p.5). Albert Einstein said these words, one of the most
influential mathematicians and educators
humankind has ever known. This statement emphasizes the
importance of and education is more
than learning material, yet it is a training, an ever-evolving
process. As an educator, this holds in
many ways every day. However, when one thinks of today's
educational system, thoughts of a
teacher standing in front of a class delivering knowledge is that
typically comes to mind. The
truth remains that an educator's job is much more than just
teaching. Endless paperwork, from
grading and writing feedback for students, sending letters and
emails to parents, and writing
grants and professional documents, is all part of an educator's
world. While many educators
understand how to write effectively, knowing the difference,
and being able to adapt to the

7. different levels of writing is of vital importance. Every day,
teachers produce some form of
written communication. This course has assisted in
understanding the level of writing needed for
each style and the information required to communicate the true
intentions successfully.
Knowing the difference between professional writing and grant
writing is one of the most
influential and useful knowledge many educators could learn.
Sadly, this knowledge was lost and
held small importance until this class. As an educator in a
small, rural public school system,
financial support is limited and gaining access to funds for
different programs is at a premium.
The goal for any educator is to provide the best environment
possible for students to achieve at
the highest level they possibly can. The fact that to obtain this
goal requires a hefty sum of
money tends to be lost on many outside the world of education.
Whether it be supplies,
equipment, technology, physical upkeep to buildings, or items
to meet basic student needs, all
Dr. Jaocb Bryant
Exceeds Expectations

8. these are needed and require funding. As an educator, much of
this funding must be found
outside of the system through grants.
Grants provide access for educators to receive money for
resources that go above and
beyond what their system may be able to offer. To unlock this
access, one must understand that a
difference exists in the style of writing required for grants as
opposed to that of professional
writing. For years, I have applied for grants through various
organizations, and only once ever
received the minimal amount available. I truly feel the reason
for this is due to the style in which
I was presenting the information through my writing style. Now
that I have learned the
difference between styles and gained an understanding of how
to identify how to present the
data, the particular grant is asking for, and things have changed.
This application of
understanding grant writing is apparent in the events since
COVID 19 has begun.
The system in which I have worked for years has been
struggling to find a way to provide

9. one to one access to personal laptops for all students grades
three through twelve. With COVID
19 completely turning the education world on its top, this need
has become more apparent now
than ever before. Beginning in May 2020, myself and a team of
teachers in our system began
searching for grants that would assist us in having the capacity
of being entirely online. Thanks
to federal assistance from the Tennessee Department of
Education, much of the funding for
personal laptops have been made available but not the entire
amount. Taking a different
approach and utilizing the knowledge learned on the true grant
writing style, multiple grants
were studied and applied for by the team.
Due to legal issues, the name of the grant in which we have
applied for can not be
revealed. However, one of the applications has been approved
for further review for full funding
available. If we are lucky enough to receive this funding, not
only will our system have the
means to provided each student their laptop at the beginning of

10. the school year, a couple of other
goals can be met as well. Each teacher will have access to a
computer program that will allow
them to teach and upload lessons each day online utilizing
Google Classroom. Those students
who have internet access will be able to access Google
Classroom and the video lessons to
recreate the classroom setting as much as possible during these
uncertain times. Students who do
not have internet access, due to the remote and sever poverty
levels of our system setting, will be
provided flash drive with their laptops that will contain the
same recorded lessons available. All
of this will be fully funded through the previously discussed
grant. Thanks to this course, we
now have the knowledge and ability to access these funds with a
better percentage of success.
This can truly be a game-changer for our students, our faculty,
school, and the overall
community.

11. References
Grear, A. (2018). Powerful Understanding: Helping students
explore, question, and transform
their thinking about themselves and the world around them (p.
5). Ontario, Canada:
Pembroke Publishers Limited.
Practical Connections Assignment for DSRT 837
Ben Huelskamp
Introduction
Approaching this course I had one goal: work on developing a
research topic and

12. question for my dissertation. When I learned that my goal was
not something that would or could
come out of this course I was tempted to drop the course and
focus on other things. I am glad I
decided to stay in the course because it allowed me to begin
delving into research methodologies
and identifying mentor texts that may inform my eventual
dissertation. Applying the content and
experience of this course, I can identify four main areas of
learning with direct applications to
the work I do in my career, including critical analysis of journal
articles, engaging across
research methodologies, structuring a scholarly paper or article,
and career exploration as a
professional in higher education.
Critical Analysis of Journal Articles
We each approach how we read scholarly articles with one of
many strategies between
reading the article in its totality to skimming the abstract and
then deciding whether or not to
read further. I tend towards a strategy of skimming the entire
article and then reading the
experimental sections and the discussion of the findings. This
course challenged me to critically

13. examine an article by locating key information throughout and
using that information for
whatever project on which I may be working.
Engaging Across Research Methodologies
A major shared experience in this course was discussing our
writing with other students.
With some strong opinions about the “best” or “easiest”
research paradigm—qualitative,
quantitative, or mixed methods—we were able to have spirited
discussions about our projects
and the ways in which we hoped to structure those studies. As is
often the case in higher
Dr. Jaocb Bryant
Dr. Jaocb Bryant
Meets Expectations
education administration, there is always a quantitative camp
with its numerical, but rather cold
data, and a qualitative camp with its broad and lived, but
difficult to apply results.
Structuring a Scholarly Paper or Article
Though a life-long writer who feels confident in his ability to

14. write many types of papers
and essays, I learned quite a bit about what goes into each
section of a well-structured and well-
executed piece of academic writing, particularly our critical
examination of literature reviews
and data analyses. While I will, more than likely, only write one
dissertation in my life, I’ve
noticed recently that the literature reviews in the journal
articles I read are structured in a very
similar way to the literature review we crafted in this course.
Career Exploration as a Professional in Higher Education
As a busy professional I have far less time to write
professionally and no time to do much
in the way of research. This course has been a good reminder of
the research I am interested in
completing and has made be think more about how I can do
some of that work in the future. I
probably shouldn’t say this in a UCumberlands assignment, but
this course has spurred me to
consider whether I want to stay in a professional doctoral
program while working or if I want to
move to a full time doctoral program and then into a research
and teaching career. While I am far

15. from a decision on that potential change, it is something that I
began thinking about over the last
eight weeks because of this course.
Summary
Though I initially took this course at this point in my studies
because I hoped to clarify
my research topic for my dissertation, I have learned
fundamental skills which are connected to
and which inform my professional practice.
This course helped me to understand all of the components of
the dissertation and how I
will begin that process. I appreciated the practice opportunities
and connections with
classmates who are in similar stages of their doctoral program.
Initially, I wasn’t sure how well
this course would prepare me for the dissertation, but I feel
much more confident now and am
almost excited to begin.
Practically speaking, this course forced me to do research on
leadership specific to my
profession, which I hadn’t necessarily done before this course
(and the one prior). It allowed me

16. to think how I could better advocate for myself as a school
counselor and the need to have a
great working relationship with the principal or administrator in
charge.
I also realized how important the history of my profession is
within the context of greater
school change. This is also going to be used again in my
dissertation, which I wouldn’t have
known before this course. School counselors are pretty new in
the world of education compared
to teachers, and there’s a lot of misunderstanding about our
roles. Within my school, there’s a
great deal of confusion about what I actually do and what my
responsibilities should be. Our
school separates the personal counselor from college
counseling, and they try to keep the roles
very distinct. That can work well, but students will confide in
whomever they’re most comfortable
with, and that includes teachers. Open communication and more
collaboration would make a
huge difference in best supporting the students instead of
getting defensive when a student
shares something personal with a college counselor. I’ve also
been told to not say that my

17. degree or experience is in school counseling because I’m a
college counselor. It’s offensive, to
say the least, and comes from a total lack of understanding of
my profession and also the
degree I worked hard to achieve.
The biggest takeaway from this course, however, was that the
dissertation can be
manageable and that leadership comes in all forms. I am not the
loudest person in the room,
and sometimes I’ve questioned why I would get a degree in
educational leadership. I don’t want
to be an administrator, and I certainly didn’t want to write a
100-page dissertation. But I think I
Dr. Jaocb Bryant
Approaches Expectations
continue to underestimate my worth and abilities. I still don’t
want to be an administrator, but I
have realized that I would be a lot better at it than most
educational leaders I’ve observed.
In education, it often seems like those who can’t teach, become
administrators. And it
shows. My current bosses have no degrees in education or even

18. leadership. One has a
bachelor’s degree in psychology and a law degree. The other
has a music degree and yet
taught history before becoming an administrator. For me, this
program and this course have
given me more confidence in myself, and I know that my
dissertation will be a culmination of my
work. If I ever change my mind on becoming an administrator,
at least I know that I’ll have the
credentials and experience to back up my decisions and
communication.
Thank you for the course. I’m not always the best at
engagement within courses or doing
my assignments in advance of the deadline, but I was better in
this course than my previous
ones. For an online degree program, I learned more than I
thought I would. In this course, I
learned the most, and I’m grateful to now have a good grasp of
all parts of the dissertation and
what I will be doing next.
Rubric for Practical Connections
Novice
(0-15 points)

19. Competent
(16-29 points)
Proficient
(30-40 points)
Writing Skills, Grammar, and APA Formatting
Assignment does not demonstrate graduate-level proficiency in
organization, grammar, and style. Assignment is poorly written
and confusing. Ideas are not communicated effectively. Student
paid no attention to spelling and punctuation. Demonstrates
poor writing skills. The assignment lacks the use of APA
formatting and does not provide proper citations or includes no
citations.
Assignment demonstrates graduate-level proficiency in
organization, grammar, and style. Assignment is effectively
communicated, but some sections lacking clarity. Student paid
some attention to spelling and punctuation, but there are errors
within the writing. Needs attention to proper writing skills. Use
of APA formatting and citations of outside resources, but has a
few instances in which proper citations are missing.
Assignment strongly demonstrates graduate-level proficiency in
organization, grammar, and style. Assignment is well written,
and ideas are well developed and explained. Demonstrates
strong writing skills. Student paid close attention to spelling
and punctuation. Sentences and paragraphs are grammatically
correct. Proper use of APA formatting. Properly and explicitly
cited outside resources. Reference list matches citations.
Maintains Purpose/Focus
Submission lacks focus or contains major drifts in focus.
Submissions has an organizational structure and the focus is
clear throughout.
Submission is well organized and has a tight and cohesive focus
that is integrated throughout the document
Understanding of Course Content
Student does not demonstrate understanding of course content

20. and knowledge.
Student demonstrates some understanding of course content and
knowledge.
Student demonstrates understand of course content and
knowledge.
Work Environment Application
Student does not demonstrate the practical application, or
ability to apply, of course objectives within a work
environment.
Student demonstrates some practical application, or ability to
apply, of course objectives within a work environment.
Student strongly demonstrates the practical application, or
ability to apply, of course objectives within a work
environment.
Assignment Requirements
Did not complete the required assignment.
Completed portions of the assignment.
Student completed all required portions of the assignment.