Exploring the Benefits and Challenges of
Undergraduate Nursing Student-Faculty Research Partnerships
By Ava Kotliar and Christy M. G. Solorio
A systematic review showed that research collaborations offer professional benefits for both students and faculty( Eiswirth, 2022). However, few nursing students are able to engage in research with a faculty member. It might be that faculty do not realize the rewards of mentoring students in research projects aligned with their interests. And students might not know that undergraduate research is a possibility or that they can offer to participate and support faculty in their research interests.
Nursing educators are responsible for teaching the foundations of evidence-based practice( EBP), while nursing students are expected to learn and apply these principles in their clinical work. Melnyk et al.( 2009) introduced the term ' spirit of inquiry ' to describe the drive to seek answers to clinical questions and contribute to nursing science. Professors aim to nurture this mindset, often within nursing research and EBP courses. But could there be other, more engaging ways for students and faculty to collaborate and spark a deeper interest in nursing research? We think so.
Through experience, we ' ve found that research partnerships between faculty and undergraduate nursing students— beyond the
22 NSNA Imprint usual course requirements— can be an underrated yet powerful way to spark a lasting spirit of inquiry in students. At the same time, it creates a fulfilling teaching experience for faculty. In sharing our experiences, we hope to highlight both the benefits and challenges of these research collaborations, along with some practical tips to make the process smoother for everyone involved.
The Faculty Experience:
Dr. Christy Solorio
I remember being an undergraduate student and working as a research assistant on one of my professor’ s projects. The experience opened my eyes to the power of asking questions and being able to find the answers, not just by looking them up, but by discovering the
knowledge on your own. Last year, when I was beginning a study looking into nursing students’ perspective on using generative artificial intelligence( AI), I remembered how I felt being brought into my own professor’ s research. I asked an undergraduate, Sascha, if he would like to work on the study with me. He agreed and has since been involved with creating the data collection tool, completing and submitting the Institutional Review Board( IRB) application, and mixed methods data collection that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches. We are now working on data analysis, and Sascha is learning more than he would be able to learn from a traditional didactic nursing research class.
As a teacher, there ' s nothing more rewarding than students sharing my enthusiasm for research on topics that excite me. Just today, Sascha asked a great question about one of the articles I had him read before starting data analysis— he brought up the lack of humanity in AI. I loved seeing him take the topic further than I expected, and it made me smile. I even got to recommend a book I’ m currently reading on the subject. Moments like these make such a difference, especially when diving into qualitative data. There’ s no substitute for hands-on experience and 1:1 mentorship when it comes to truly understanding something.
Generally speaking, undergraduate nursing students who engage in direct research partnerships during their academic studies are empowered to continue research activities after they graduate( Mitchell et al., 2020; Slattery et al., 2016). They are also more