Emerging areas of nursing science and PhD education for the 21st century: Response to commentaries

Content Analysis of Dissertations for Examination of Priority Areas of Nursing Science

BACKGROUND

Based on current and future research priorities to inform Ph.D. education, emerging and priority areas were developed through the Idea Festival Advisory Committee of the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science.

PURPOSE

The Purpose of this study was to examine the bibliographic, methodologic, study topic characteristics, and emerging and priority areas of two randomly selected samples of nursing doctoral dissertations from the Proquest Digital Dissertations and Theses database between January 2017 and September 2018.

METHODS

Using human- (N = 101) and computer-coding (N = 242), we analyzed text data using descriptive statistics and data visualization.

FINDINGS

Health behavior (32.7%) and quantitative sciences (17.8%) were the most common emerging and priority areas, and translation science and -omics/microbiome were absent. Health, practice, education, and leadership were four study topic themes.

DISCUSSION

This approach may serve as a metric for the state of Ph.D. nursing education. A replication study is recommended in three to five years.

Opportunities and challenges presented by recent pedagogical innovations in doctoral nursing education

The demand to expand the nurse scientist pipeline over the past decade has generated numerous pedagogical innovations in nursing doctoral education. A PhD nursing education summit was held at the University of Pennsylvania in October 2019 to discuss pedagogical innovations. The main pedagogical innovations discussed by Summit attendees included: 1) the expansion of both 3-year PhD programs and BSN to PhD programs; 2) changes in learning opportunities and curricula content; and 3) the role of postdoctoral fellowships. This overview examines the numerous opportunities and challenges generated by these innovations. Opportunities include producing scholars with research careers that are potentially longer than historically seen in the nursing profession, as well as the emergence of unique educational and mentoring opportunities both during and after doctoral studies. Challenges involve the impact condensed program timelines have had on both the content and delivery of curricula, as well as the research expertise and skillsets of nursing PhD program graduates. There is a need to conduct a national coordinated evaluation of PhD program using shared metrics in order to better evaluate the effect of these pedagogical innovations on the development of nurse scientists, and ultimately, the discipline.

Nursing research priorities based on CINAHL database: A scoping review

Aim

To analyse nursing research based on the CINAHL database to identify research priorities for nursing.

Design

A scoping literature review was conducted. The CINAHL Plus (EBSCO) Full Text was searched between 2012-2018.

Methods

Out of 1522 original publications, 91 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools were applied. Data were analysed by a thematic analysis method.

Results

A strong emphasis should be put on development and evaluation of nursing theories and, in addition, randomized controlled trial studies, meta-synthesis, experimental and intervention studies are needed in nursing research. Development of competencies and skills in the nursing profession ought to be studied more extensively and research should be focused on variety fields of nursing practice.

Research translation and the evolving PhD and DNP practice roles: A collaborative call for nurse practitioners

Doctoral prepared nurse practitioners (NPs) are uniquely positioned for responsible leadership as essential members of the health care system and have a professional responsibility to contribute to research and clinical inquiry initiatives that advance health care delivery and improve outcomes. Academic preparation of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), although different in focus, offers opportunities for effective collaborations that transcend and integrate the scientific and practice roles of generating data and translating evidence. As health care organizations evolve in managing complexities of providing high-quality care, roles for the PhD as research scientist and DNP as research translation specialist will also evolve to keep pace. Despite this professional calling and global opportunity for research and evidence-based practice (EBP), future NPs and nurses will be challenged with an imminent lack of experts who have the skills needed for data and research generation and evidence translation. This commentary introduces and discusses emerging roles and organizational models for doctoral prepared NPs in research, EBP, quality assurance, and quality improvement projects, offers suggestions for NPs interested in research and clinical inquiry, and seeks to ignite excitement for scientific discovery in NP-driven initiatives. Nurse practitioners are encouraged to take advantage of the many opportunities to shape and expand their careers by engaging in knowledge generation for improving health care outcomes.

Nursing genetics and genomics: The International Society of Nurses in Genetics (ISONG) survey

BACKGROUND

The International Society of Nursing in Genetics (ISONG) fosters scientific and professional development in the discovery, interpretation, and application of genomic information in nursing research, education, and clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES

Assess genomic-related activities of ISONG members in research, education and practice, and competencies to serve as global leaders in genomics.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey (21-items) assessing genomic-related training, knowledge, and practice.

SETTINGS

An email invitation included a link to the anonymous online survey.

PARTICIPANTS

All ISONG members (n = 350 globally) were invited to partake.

METHODS

Descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test for between-group comparisons.

RESULTS

Respondents (n = 231, 66%), were mostly Caucasian, female, with a master's degree or higher. Approximately 70% wanted to incorporate genomics in research, teaching, and practice. More than half reported high genomic competency, and over 95% reported that genomics is relevant the next 5 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide a foundation for developing additional educational programs for an international nursing workforce in genomics.

Comparative and cost-effectiveness research: Competencies, opportunities, and training for nurse scientists

BACKGROUND

Comparative and cost-effectiveness research develops knowledge on the everyday effectiveness and value of treatments and care delivery models.

PURPOSE

To describe comparative and cost-effectiveness research; identify needed competencies for this research; identify federal funding; and describe current training opportunities.

METHODS

Published recommended competencies were reviewed. Current federal funding and training opportunities were identified. A federally funded training program and other training opportunities are described.

DISCUSSION

Fourteen core competencies were identified that have both analytic and theoretical foci from nursing and other fields. There are multiple sources of federal funding for research and training. Interdisciplinary training is needed.

CONCLUSION

Comparative and cost-effectiveness research has the opportunity to transform health care delivery and improve the outcomes of patients. Nurses, as clinicians and scientists, are in a unique position to contribute to this important research. We encourage nurses to seek the needed interdisciplinary research training to participate in this important endeavor. We also encourage educators to use the competencies and processes identified in current training programs to help shape their doctoral programs.

Again, What Is Nursing Science?

This article again asks, What is nursing science? Who knows? Who cares? The author describes the threat to the survival of nursing science grounded in nursing frameworks and theories. This threat is magnified by the proposal of the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS) to change the curricula of PhD education. The aim of CANS is to prepare nurse scientists for lifelong competitive careers in interdisciplinary research, often focused on funding priorities of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Curricula would include preparation for conducting research in topics such as omics, e-science, translation science, biobehavioral science, symptom science, and team science. How can this be nursing science? It is argued that this focus might obliterate nursing’s discipline-specific phenomenon of concern, the human-universe-health process.