Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the experiences of mothers who had adopted children from Pleven, Bulgaria, with an added focus on their experiences of interactions with healthcare personnel. Design: An interpretive phenomenological study method was used to interview 5 mothers of children who had been adopted from Bulgaria. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed for thematic material. Findings: All except for one of the children had underlying physical congenital problems and all of the children were found to be severely damaged by institutional neglect. All of the mothers had other biological children. The themes that emerged included logistical challenges, priority of family relationships, emotional impact, and amazing improvement. The mothers identified two key aspects of their interactions with medical personnel: listening and respect from healthcare individuals and the importance of taking their child's unique history and situation into account. Conclusions: For mothers who had adopted children from Pleven, Bulgaria, life was not simple. These mothers found life following their adoptions both difficult and rewarding. These mothers desired that others listen to their stories in order to help improve healthcare interactions that they face daily, to encourage others to adopt children from the institution in Pleven, and to stop the abuses occurring at the institution.

The national average of children aged 19-35 months receiving all recommended vaccines was under 75 percent for the year 2014. In Arizona the average was 65.1 percent, ranking them as 46th in the nation. Language, availability and education are all barriers affecting the rates in Arizona. Appropriate education has the biggest impact on vaccination rates in Arizona. A review of resources available in Arizona was conducted and presented for parents of children in need of the vaccines. A poster designed to educate the population and promote vaccinations was created and distributed to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and Mayo Clinic Hospital as well.

The purpose of this project is to create an educational activity book for Spanish-speaking children that face a language barrier when seeking care in the Emergency Room. In order to effectively develop relationships and provide exceptional healthcare for clients, nurses must understand how to effectively communicate (Escarce & Kapur, 2006). Current research reports that clients with Spanish as their primary language were more likely to have a poor experience when seeking health care assistance (Hispanic Health Disparities and Communication Barriers, 2016). Additionally, they were more likely not to seek care at all due to little or no communication capabilities with healthcare staff (Hispanic Health Disparities and Communication Barriers, 2016). The language barrier present and the lack of resources available to address the issue have created a disparity in the quality of healthcare for Spanish-speaking clients (Juckett, 2013). The book was made with the intention of being distributed to Spanish-speaking children and/or children with Spanish-speaking guardians, upon arrival to the Emergency Department. This educational activity book is to be used by the child, their guardians, and their involved health care staff to more comfortably navigate their way through the Emergency Room process.