CAPSTONE Research

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Aug 15, 2013

Are you wanting to conduct the two programs and then compare satisfaction? I'm a little confused.

sarahhayden · Aug 16, 2013

I was intending to survey RN's already in the workforce. A lot of hospitals use a standardized program for new employees. I talked to three different hospitals. No one seems interested in this research or they don't want it done at their facility. I made clear it would be confidential and that the organization could choose not to have their name included in the final paper.

The survey asks whether you have participated in a orientation program that included a mentor. Then asks questions related to job satisfaction using a Likert scale rating 1-7. One example is "How satisfied are you with your job training?" I intend to use both groups. But I'm finding that the use of a formal mentor program (or internship) for RN's is not common.

I was going to search some databases this morning to see if I can do an online survey of RN's using SurveyMonkey.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Aug 16, 2013

Your academic advisor should be able to provide you with the assistance you need. That is HER/HIS job!!!

Are you working with IRBs at the facilities in which you are interested? The school's IRB? You will have to pass that hurdle for any type of research study involving human subjects. FWIW, I don't know of ANY hospital that would permit a non-employee to do that type of survey.... to much exposure of proprietary information for their comfort. Most organizations already include 'satisfaction with training' as part of their regular employee job satisfaction surveys.

Have you thought about taking a different approach and using individuals as your level of data collection? Include sufficient demographic info to categorize their workplace & type of training program (without specific identifiers) as part of your survey. Then just analyze the data based upon the different types of training programs. You can get contact lists from various nursing organizations as well as soliciting participants on national nursing forums... such as AN.

Formal mentoring programs for new nurses are very rare. They are expensive and require a level of commitment that is very difficult to maintain in the face of the turnover 'churn' of new grads. The most common arrangement is limited to the use of clinical preceptors who are focused primarily on achieving clinical competence goals.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Aug 16, 2013

So, the above post asks the most pertinent question: Are you employed at any of these facilities? Because if not, you are barking up the wrong tree.

What about YOUR place of employment? Can you do something there? he more details you provide us, the more likely you are to get the help you need.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Aug 17, 2013

Hello?

sarahhayden · Aug 18, 2013

Sorry. I work full-time and have three kids, this weekend is my son's 10th birthday.

So MY place of employment is a home health care agency with about 100 patients and maybe that many staff. We are required to have at least two years experience before we start so we just orient staff to individual patients. There are no other training programs.

I wish that my course instructor had told me that hospitals would not be willing to let me do this research. I've spoken with her several times and hit our MSN blog at least 15 times since I started this Capstone. Out of all the feedback I got, everyone seemed to be on board with this project. The only alternative I have is to solicit SurveyMonkey to create an audience of Registered Nurses for me (if I can get approval from the University). It's expensive but would probable yield the results I need.

I am so frustrated with the lack of feedback from my university. Its as if they've left me to flail when I thought I had everything pinned down. I appreciate everyone's input. I'm sorry if I wasn't specific enough. Now I'm going to have to rewrite my research proposal and survey to apply to the new research study.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! :up:

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Aug 18, 2013

Allnurses is often used to conduct research. See: Academic Nursing Research Participation Requests

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 18, 2013

Unfortunatly, you have encountered one of the major potential drawbacks of distance/online education. For many courses, the typical online set-up works fine. (And I teach a course online, so I am not totally against them.) However, for something as complex as the actual conduct of a research project, the novice researcher often needs a closer relationship and more frequent/in-depth attention from an expert than is typically found online. Your teacher may be spread too thin to give you that attention -- and it is hard to have in-depth discussion and explore possibilities online. Your fellow students probably don't have the expertise to be of much help.

Do you have some sort of preceptor or mentor in your local area that can sit down with you to help you work it all out? Can you make a trip to your school to have a face-to-face meeting with your professor? Or can you schedule a long phone call ... or skype session ... etc. with her? When students ask me for advice about online programs, I usually tell them to choose a school where they could make a physical trip to meet with a faculty member if necessary. Is something like that possible for you? It sounds like you need help to re-design your project ... and to do that, you need to sit down with someone who knows what they are doing and can spend time with you to work out the problems.

llg, PhD, RN-BC

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Aug 19, 2013

Another problem with distance/online ed: Since when does an online opinion survey qualify as masters-level research? What's the purpose of this, how does it advance the profession to know that X% of people liked this, didn't like that, or whatever? Opinion surveys are not research. I know everybody likes them because they are easy as hell and you plug the results into a statistics program and call it a day, but to what end? I'm not seeing the utility...especially since it doesn't look like some big employers of NURSES are the least bit interested.

I am seeing this more and more, and it's very bothersome. Just because you get data to which you can apply a set of statistical tests does not mean you've done research. I don't care if your "thesis advisor" tells you it is; that's not your fault, but it's an indicator of the source of a huge problem for our profession.

This sounds like an undergraduate-level term paper to me, and sorry to have to say it so bluntly. I'm sorry to have to say it at all.

MN RN-BC etc., etc., etc.

sarahhayden · Aug 20, 2013

Well, the original idea was to get some kind of base line research into how a mentorship program can improve the skills and attitudes of nurses. No one has an internship or mentor program for us. I was fortunate enough to have a veteran nurse take me under her wing when I started. She taught me more skills than those I learned in clinicals at my college. I think she made me a better nurse.

The idea behind doing such a pedestrian research study is to get it done before my term is up. I can't afford another semester of student loans. Not to mention the amount of time I spend on school already. I am a extremely busy nurse and mother. At same time, I see new nurses with no skills, no time management and no work ethic. I thought this would set a good example for how mentorship improves satisfaction (although my original idea was a little more complex).

I'm reaching the end of my term, my kids start school tomorrow and I work 45 hours a week driving from home to home. Maybe I should change it to a Qualitative study with RN interviews relating to training programs. I'M STUCK!

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Aug 20, 2013

Not picking on you personally. However, when I hear that the idea behind a "study" is to get it done before term is up, rather than to really be committed to doing something of demonstrable value because you're "incredibly busy," and that this is apparently perfectly acceptable to an "academic institution" for "higher education in nursing" which grants this "degree," that makes me incredibly sad for the future of my profession.

Is this what passes for master's level education these days? Really? :cry: