Penny Morgan Morgan Overgaard

Interests

Teaching

Dr. Overgaard has a broad set of teaching interests that center on incorporating innovative teaching strategies that advance concept based student learning and foster clinical judgement and promote self-care. She utilizes promotes a Trauma Informed Care Approach as a framework for enhancing nursing care and care that supports people within their communities. Dr. Overgaard strives to teach and mentor students through active participation in projects that enhance care across the continuum for people with serious or chronic illnesses and promote social equity and justice in communities.

Research

Dr. Overgaard has two major fields of research interest 1. Health Disparities: Social Determinates of Health She is interested in factors that influence or create obstacles to health particularly the role of policy, trauma including head injuries, adverse childhood events and barriers to mental health care. 2. Dr. Overgaard also has a particular interest in developing evidence-based innovative teaching modalities.

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Journals/Publications

• Lyles, A. A., Overgaard, P. M., Caputo, G. L., & Reifsnider, E. (2017). Stakeholders' Perceptions of Care Coordination: A Participatory Process.. Journal of pediatric health care : official publication of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates & Practitioners, 31(5), 555-559. doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2017.01.012
  More info

  Children with special health care needs or chronic conditions are more likely to have unmet health needs than other children. The purpose of this study was to use a community engagement research strategy to assess the essential elements of care coordination that can serve as the foundation for a system-wide care coordination model for children with special health care needs..As part of a summit designed to review the status of pediatric care coordination within the state of Arizona and a call to action, a qualitative descriptive study was conducted to solicit anonymous feedback from 104 stakeholders (family, health care provider, or community entity) on the strengths and areas of improvement in the current system that provides care to Arizona children with special health care needs. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis..Five essential categories crucial to building an effective and seamless care coordination model were extracted from the data: Communication, Insurance, Health Care Capacity, Provider Knowledge, and Family Education..The results from this study can serve as the working foundation to build a system-wide model for pediatric care coordination throughout the state. Providing care coordination services involves many activities across a wide range of organizations and locations. Research that is inclusive of community stakeholders can determine essential components for building a foundation for care coordination.
• Overgaard, P. M. (2010).

  7 steps to highly effective staff meetings

  . Nursing Management (Springhouse), 41(6), :p 53-54,. doi:10.1097/01.numa.0000369503.22724.b7
• Overgaard, P. M. (2009).

  Patient teaching in five easy steps

  . Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 7(3), p 56. doi:10.1097/01.nme.0000350942.73025.3f
  More info

  FigureQ: What are some tips to help improve my patient teaching skills? A: Research shows that excellent patient teaching improves outcomes and even saves lives. Quality patient teaching requires providing education during every encounter. Use these five strategies to help make a difference for your patient and his family members. Find out what works. First, ask your patient how he learns best and teach to match that style. Try asking, “The last time you learned something new, what worked best?” If he likes to write everything down, have a pen and paper nearby. Remember, a person who learns by doing needs to practice new skills using his hands; even showing him several times may not mean he can do it himself without practice. Let your patient play. Give him equipment to handle to help increase his comfort level. Allow him to inspect the tools he'll use at home, such as syringes and blood glucose meters, and have him teach family members how things work. Experience with equipment will translate into better skills for your patient. Encourage preplanning. Instead of providing everything for your patient, have him gather supplies, if possible, or have him list for you what he'll need. Ask where he plans to keep supplies at home. How will he carry the supplies with him when not at home? Are there special precautions or instructions for medications he needs to know? In the hospital, everything is close by and readily available but at home and while traveling, preparation takes planning. Also, don't forget your own preplanning, such as having supportive materials (printed or otherwise) available for your patient and using facility-provided teaching tools as necessary. Be an encourager. Remember, problem solving takes time and practice makes perfect. Offer gentle encouragement rather than a quick fix to prepare your patient to care for himself. Real learning can't take place until he does it himself. Don't save the day! Don't worry if things don't go smoothly. The perfect time for problems is in the hospital. For example, if your patient receives an error message while checking his blood glucose level, ask him what he thinks went wrong and what he should do now. Give him a few seconds to decide what to do. Don't jump in to rescue him or do things yourself unless he's in danger. Instead, use verbal cues to guide him back onto the right track. Make suggestions only if he can't come up with a workable solution, then ask what might have gone better. Ask questions to teach problem solving; for example, “That insulin shot went perfectly but what would happen if the syringe dropped on the floor?” Or, “What would you do if you had an emergency in the car?” Help your patient make a plan to use when help isn't readily available. An important part of nursing is to make sure that patients are ready to care for themselves at home. These five easy methods will help refine your teaching and make every minute count.
• Overgaard, P. M. (2007).

  Pediatric T-tubes: unfamiliar technology requires caretaker assistance.

  . JEMS: a journal of emergency medical services,, 32(6),, 32-34.. doi:10.1016/s0197-2510(07)72225-8

Presentations

• Acosta, L. A., & Overgaard, P. M. (2023, July). A Framework for Developing an EBP Project. Nurse Educator Conference in the Rockies. Breckenridge, CO.
• Overgaard, P. M., & Acosta, L. A. (2022, January). Trustworthiness by design: Developing a clear research purpose. The Qualitative Report Conference. Virtual Synchronous Workshop.
• Acosta, L. A., & Overgaard, P. M. (2021, January). What are qualitative questions?. The Qualitative Report Conference. Virtual Synchronous Workshop.
• Acosta, L. A., & Overgaard, P. M. (2022, May). Ready, Set, Go: A Stepwise Approach to Developing Research Proposals in the Ambulatory Healthcare Setting. AAACN 2022 Annual Conference. Las Vegas, Nevada: American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN).

Poster Presentations

• Acosta, L. A., & Overgaard, P. M. (2023, July). QUERY: A framework for developing an evidence-based practice project. Nurse Educators Conference in the Rockies. Breckenridge, Colorado: Centennial Area Health Education Center.
• Overgaard, P. M. (2022, April). Exploring Care as a Concept that Relates to Others and Self: An Exemplar for Nurse Educators. 2022 International Integrative Nursing Symposium. Virtual: International Integrative Nursing Symposium.
• Overgaard, P. M., Overgaard, P. M., Acosta, L. A., & Acosta, L. A. (2022, Spring). Using online survey software to collect visual data for qualitative research. The Western Institute of Nursing Conference. Portland, OR.