ANF scholars (1955-2012): stepping stones to a nursing research career

Trends in Contemporary Holistic Nursing Research: 2010-2015

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to describe and summarize the characteristics of contemporary holistic nursing research (HNR) published nationally.

DESIGN

A descriptive research design was used for this study.

METHOD

Data for this study came from a consecutive sample of 579 studies published in six journals determined as most consistent with the scope of holistic nursing from 2010 to 2015. The Johns Hopkins level of evidence was used to identify evidence generated, and two criteria-power analysis for quantitative research and trustworthiness for qualitative research-were used to describe overall quality of HNR.

FINDINGS

Of the studies, 275 were considered HNR and included in the analysis. Caring, energy therapies, knowledge and attitudes, and spirituality were the most common foci, and caring/healing, symptom management, quality of life, and depression were the outcomes most often examined. Of the studies, 56% were quantitative, 39% qualitative, and 5% mixed-methods designs. Only 32% of studies were funded. Level III evidence (nonexperimental, qualitative) was the most common level of evidence generated.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study suggest ways in which holistic nurse researchers can strengthen study designs and thus improve the quality of scientific evidence available for application into practice and improve health outcomes.

The impact of the Nurse Faculty Scholars program on schools of nursing

BACKGROUND

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars program was conceptualized as not only promoting the growth and development of early-career faculty but as enhancing the research infrastructure of scholars' schools of nursing.

PURPOSE

At the completion of the scholars' three years of support, deans/directors were asked to provide feedback regarding the institutional impact of the scholars' participation in the program.

METHODS

Phone interviews were conducted on the first five completed cohorts and a six-item questionnaire was developed to obtain some quantitative data.

DISCUSSION

The program was viewed as having accelerated the scholars' leadership and scholarship, and their influence within the school/university and regionally/nationally. Deans/directors generally agreed that the scholars' experience helped build the school's research portfolio.

CONCLUSION

Looking back on how the participating schools of nursing fared, one can say that the program's institutional expectations were achieved most of the time. The program helped scholars build their own reputations and that in turn had consequences for the school's standing as a whole. A number of components are described that can be replicated singly or in various combinations by schools/universities interested in adopting aspects of this program.

Collaborating With Businesses to Support and Sustain Research

Financial assistance is necessary for sustaining research at universities. Business collaborations are a potential means for obtaining these funds. To secure funding, understanding the process for obtaining these business funds is important for nursing faculty members. Although faculty rarely request funding from businesses, they are often in a position to solicit financial support due to existing relationships with clinical agency administrators, staff, and community leaders. The economic support received from businesses provides outcomes in nursing research, research education, academic–service partnerships, and client health care. This article describes the steps and processes involved in successfully obtaining research funding from businesses. In addition, case examples for securing and maintaining funding from health care agencies (evidence-based practice services) and from a health manufacturing company (product evaluation) are used to demonstrate the process.