what they said mirrored my own experience. Generally, we agreed that research collaborations with faculty provide valuable learning experiences, skill development, and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to nursing research— opportunities typically limited at the undergraduate level.
The students told me that the experience of working on research studies as an undergraduate made them feel more prepared for doing similar work in graduate school. They also feel more prepared to do EBP projects in their professional settings after graduation. They really liked that they were able to look deeply at topics in which they were interested.
Aidan was interested in how selfcare affects psychiatric nurses’ mental health; he created a mixed methods study to find out. He said,“ It’ s a great opportunity to deeply explore [ a topic ] you are interested in as a nursing student.” He also said it was great to add a research project to his resume!
Aidan and I also discussed the challenges of incorporating research into the demanding schedule of nursing school. Time management was a common concern for everyone. Other challenges included managing varying expectations, aligning project deliverables, and coordinating schedules, which often resulted in periods of inactivity followed by bursts of intense work in compressed timeframes. Balancing these competing demands requires careful planning and flexibility to ensure both academic responsibilities and research progress are successfully managed.
24 NSNA Imprint
Gabriella was interested in studying how the COVID-19 pandemic might be correlated to new mental health diagnoses and medication errors in nurses. She worked with Dr. Solorio to create a survey and collected data from nurses who were working during the pandemic. They were both excited when her study was accepted for poster presentation at NSNA’ s national conference. About the experience of presenting at a professional conference, Ganbiella said,“[ It ] was an extremely unique experience that gave me the opportunity to explore my professionalism before entering the field as a nurse. It definitely helped me to learn about networking and the importance of research.” Her one regret is that she wasn’ t able to have more time for data collection after learning the power of sample size in statistical analysis.
Ria wanted to learn more about the correlation between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder( ADHD) and early use of alcohol and other substances. She said that the best way to make working together more effective is good communication between the professor and student. She said,“ It can be difficult when your advisor is busy teaching a lot of classes and, as a student, you are busy with a lot of school work.” Ria highlighted that clear and consistent communication is key to overcoming these challenges and ensuring a productive research collaboration.
We agreed that time management is crucial. Balancing full-time nursing studies with research can be challenging. Ria emphasized that managing your time effectively to complete your regular coursework will free up more time for research. This is essential because, as she put it, " you don’ t want to rush these things." Essentially, having accurate and thorough data and research takes time, which makes careful time management even more important.
Conclusion
While challenges such as differing schedules, busy workloads, and varying levels of motivation may arise in faculty-student research collaborations, these research partnerships can be highly rewarding and enriching for both parties. Nursing faculty should be encouraged to identify opportunities within their research projects where students can actively contribute and gain valuable experience, fostering a mutually beneficial learning environment. Nursing students should actively engage in research to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of nursing science and to become more familiar with the research process. While it may be challenging at times, sharing their insights and findings can lead to improvements in nursing practice and make a lasting impact on patient care.