Refocusing Research Priorities in Schools of Nursing

Abstract

It is critical for schools of nursing to periodically reassess their scholarly programs to ensure that their conceptual framework and approaches address current challenges and enhance productivity. This article describes the process undertaken at Columbia University School of Nursing to evaluate scholarly enterprise so that it remains relevant and responsive to changing trends and to revise our research conceptual model to be reflective of the foci of our clinicians and researchers. As part of a larger strategic initiative, a two-phase Research Excellence Planning and Implementation Workgroup was convened, consisting of a broad representation of faculty and administrative staff, with an overall goal of expanding scholarly capacity. During Phase I, members developed measurable outcomes and tactics and revised the school's conceptual research model. In Phase II, the workgroup implemented and monitored tactics and presented final recommendations to the dean. To measure progress, faculty members completed a survey to establish baseline scholarship and collaboration with results indicating room for growth in interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration. Ongoing assessment of outcomes includes Web-based tracking of scholarly activities and follow-up surveys to monitor expansion of faculty collaboration. We recommend this process to other schools committed to sustainable, increasingly relevant scholarship.

To teach is to learn: The impact of training and capacity building

“…5 Nightingale emphasised the importance of experiential education rather than relying on theory alone and was also an advocate for the individual-community-global connection in educational projects internationally. 6 This paper provides an example of how an international partnership between nurses in Singapore and China has resulted in learning for all involved.…”

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

“…Schools of nursing at research universities are expected to have faculty who can sustain a high level of scholarly productivity, including research funding, in order to be seen as academic equals (Kulage et al, 2013; Pierce, Cook, & Larson, 2004), but faculty at comprehensive universities are also increasingly expected to demonstrate scholarly productivity (Ahmad & Prelock, 2012; Travis & Anthony, 2011). These heightened expectations for scholarship can be seen in the range of institutions—more research intensive and less research intensive—that have been home to American Nurses Foundation scholars in recent years (Messmer, Zalon, & Phillips, 2014) and that have joined the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (Harden & Watman, 2015).…”

Innovation in creating a strategic plan for research within an academic community

“…Traditional approaches to strategic planning in academic settings have involved either face-to-face meetings of select representatives of the faculty (i.e. committees) (Kulage et al, 2013;Milone-Nuzzo & Lancaster, 2004;Peirce, Cook & Larson, 2004), or iterative multistage Delphi surveys (Hasson, Keeney & McKenna, 2000). However, these processes frequently do not engage the entire school in conversations about the future of the research enterprise or capture the perspectives of diverse stakeholders, such as doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows.…”

“…Increasing student input on the scientific development of academic environments is particularly important for continuing the generation of high-impact nursing science (Potempa & Tilden, 2004). Furthermore, previous M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT projects in this area have been top-down approaches initiated by the dean of nursing (Peirce, Cook & Larson, 2004), or reactions to the pressure of external funding climates (Kulage et al, 2013;Milone-Nuzzo & Lancaster, 2004). By contrast, our faculty recognized the benefits of a proactive approach to enable quick and decisive responses to emerging research trends and funding opportunities.…”

“…Very few peer-reviewed articles have been published outlining approaches to strategic planning for research in academic nursing (Kulage et al, 2013;Milone-Nuzzo & Lancaster, 2004;Pierce, Cook & Larson, 2004). Therefore, the purpose of this article is to describe the processes that contributed to our strategic research plan and the products of our work.…”