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Speaker: Nursing Research Starts With Questions Passion and Open Mind
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CLEVELAND —Rheumatology nurses need to approach the idea of doing nursing research with an open mind and use their passion to answer questions for the benefits of their patients and the improvement of patient care, said a presenter at the Rheumatology Nurses Society Annual Conference.
“Research can be a beautiful process. I want you to know that it is a process and it [is] going to take some time — but you want to go ahead and get to the fun stuff — that is your research project and see what the data show. It is not an instant gratification process,” Sheree C. Carter, PhD, RN, an assistant professor at The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing in Tuscaloosa, Ala., said here.
Sheree Carter
Carter said nursing research starts with formulating a question. She advised rheumatology nurses not to do the research alone — rather to find someone, especially a faculty member, with a like interest.
“Find them and say ‘Let me open your eyes to a whole new world that desperately needs nursing research,’” Carter said.
She said nursing research is vital to health care and implements change in lifespan care. Findings will help develop treatment regiments, and develop and promote the improvement of patient care.
“In nursing research, we can blossom and show what the patients mean to us,” Carter said.
Carter said rheumatology nurses should pick a research topic and look at everything they do with a fresh set of eyes. She said to pick a topic of interest or of a complex nature, or to choose a topic that has always left one to wonder if there was a way to improve the process for better patient outcomes.
“That is what nursing research is all about — your passion,” she said. – by Kristine Houck, MA, ELS
Reference:
Carter SC. Research fundamentals in rheumatology nursing. Presented at: Rheumatology Nurses Society Annual Conference; Aug. 3-6, 2016; Cleveland.
Disclosure: Carter reports no relevant financial disclosures.