A Value Added: Involving BSN Students in Research

At FPB, the walls of our hallways are lined with research posters. It is a constant reminder of the research mission of the school and the significant and exciting research that is ongoing by our faculty and students. A considerable number of the posters display the research of our undergraduate nursing students. Involving Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students in research at FPB is expanding rapidly.

There are several ways that undergraduate students can engage in research. They can join an existing faculty-led research team, initiate a mentored research project of their own design, conduct a community-based research project as part of their senior capstone experience, and join an existing research project in the local community.

One way that undergraduate nursing students are encouraged to engage in research is to invite them to participate in the Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) Annual Meeting. As a regional research society, MNRS is known for its strong support of the next generation of nurse-researchers through student poster competitions, planned interactions between students and experienced nurse-researchers, and networking scholarship activities among the students themselves. At Case Western Reserve University, several junior-level BSN students are invited each spring to attend the MNRS meeting and are teamed up with faculty mentors who assist them in idea exchange and interactions during the conference. On return from the MNRS meeting, these students join existing faculty research teams and are provided with data from an aspect of the project that can serve as data for an abstract submission for the undergraduate research poster competition at the MNRS conference the following year, and hopefully, eventual publication.

In 2006, two BSN students (now alumni), Margaret Mills and Caroline Fitzgerald, attended the MNRS conference under the mentorship of professors Patricia Higgins and Barbara Daly. Ms. Mills and Fitzgerald then joined Dr. Daly’s research team, and in the course of the next year collected, entered, and analyzed data on a pilot study, Complementary Therapy Use and Quality of Life in Newly Diagnosed Adult Cancer Patients. Additionally, as part of their senior capstone project, Ms.Mills and Fitzgerald completed a research evaluation of a community education program, Project T.E.M.P.L.E.: A Breast Health Education Intervention Program for Cleveland’s Urban African-American Women.

BSN 2009 alumna Jill San Juan

Numerous opportunities exist for BSN students to join existing research teams. For example, BSN 2009 alumna Jill San Juan (pictured, right) began a research collaboration as a freshman with Dr. Margaret Heinzer. She joined Dr. Heinzer’s study of children’s exercise and weight loss using a school-based dance pad intervention. Ms. San Juan accompanied Dr. Heinzer to Cleveland-area elementary schools and helped demonstrate the dance pad to the children for the implementation of the study protocol. Additionally, as part of the study team, Ms. San Juan traveled with Dr. Heinzer and the school nurse to Washington, DC, in spring 2006 to present a 40-minute presentation of the study, including a demonstration of the dance pad with audience participation. Ms. San Juan also attended a meeting of the Health Leadership Council of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District to discuss a comprehensive health plan and fitness programs in the school district, thus learning first-hand about building community coalitions for research.

Other teams of BSN students joined ongoing research projects in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. One project focuses on hypertension in children that is funded by the American Heart Association, and another project addresses asthma in children—the Open Airways Program of the American Lung Association. Similarly, a group of BSN students joined with a summer youth fitness program held each year at Case Western Reserve University for African-American children between the ages of 10 and 16 and assisted in the systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of the fitness program on the children’s body mass index. For BSN students wanting to do projects over the summer, they are encouraged to apply for funding that is available from the University SOURCE program (Support of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors).

FPB's BSN students often come with a passion for inquiry. Involving them in research is a value added for everyone involved. The students get an enriched academic experience, while the faculty researchers get fresh ideas and energy infused into their projects. Additionally, the exposure to research by young nurses in training may well increase their appreciation for nursing research and their future use of evidence-based practice. And, who knows—some of them may be “bitten by the research bug” and consider a future career as a nurse-scientist.

Ms. San Juan describes her experience in this way: “I have an interest in dance and I think this is a great way to express one of my hobbies as a nursing student. I have been able to attend numerous research conferences...My favorite experiences include attending a conference in Washington, DC, and participating in Research ShowCASE. I feel very fortunate to be involved in research as an undergraduate student. I would encourage all nursing students to do so if given the opportunity.”