Building Research Capacity in Nursing Academia in 2020: Is the Road Less Perilous?

Abstract

Background Building research capacity in nursing academic units continues to be a challenge. There are a number of external contextual factors and internal factors that influence individual faculty as well as the collective to engage successfully in research. Purpose The overall aim of this opinion article is to provide an overview of the current external and internal, processes and structures, relevant to capacity of nursing faculty to engage in research. Methods To inform the external context, we reviewed national research funding trends for nursing. To inform the internal context, we provided an exemplar of the internal processes and structures designed to support research capacity building within our academic unit. Results Canadian Institutes of Health Research funding trends for research grants led by nurse principal applicants increased between 2010 and 2013, followed by a steady decline. In 2017 to 2018, there were only 24 research grants led by nurse principal applicants. These external challenges coupled with the traditional internal barriers, such as the imbalance between teaching and research time, threaten research capacity for nursing academics. Conclusion Organizational strategies to promote research capacity within academic nursing units are a necessary requirement to move forward.

Embedded researchers in Australia: Survey of profile and experience across medical, nursing and midwifery and allied health disciplines

“…Nursing and midwifery respondents' reports of conflicting expectations and lower value for their research achievements may in part represent their profession's history. It may also represent the longstanding imbalances between research and teaching expectations in academic environments, persistent funding inequities and limited resources and infrastructure to support research (Tranmer et al, 2020). In Australia, comparatively fewer nurses and midwives choose research degrees over clinical qualifications, and subsequently, this limits their capability and engagement in research to conduct and publish research (Smith et al, 2018).…”