Master's Project / Thesis - What's Your Topic?

Debra ACRN · May 12, 2009

I just finished my project. It was on introducing cultural aesthetics into senior nursing student curricula. We made nichos (Mexican Folk Art boxes) to illustrate a mental health nursing concept. It was designed to increase communication between the patient and nurse using art as a media. It was really well received, although quirky. Good luck with yours.

Christen, ANP · May 12, 2009

Congratulations on finishing! I graduate next May, so I've got a ways to go on my project. That sounds like a very original idea and a lot of fun!

SpiritedRN · May 24, 2009

I would really like to hear more about your project. It sounds so very creative and fascinating. :clphnds:

rach78 · May 26, 2009

I am currently working on my graduate project. I am looking at stress in acute care nurses and trying to determine if nurses who are physically active, exercising outside of work, perceive less stress in the ICUs and ERs. Particularly looking at how the physiological signs of stress, increased heart rate,etc, remain closer to baseline in nurses who are more physically fit than their counterparts.

SpiritedRN · May 27, 2009

That sounds like a really great study to conduct for your project. Have you had success finding research on this topic? I would be interested in looking at these factors in RNs working in other areas of nursing, outside of critical care and emergency rooms, as I believe all of us are exposed to varying stressors in our work environments.

rach78 · May 27, 2009

There isn't alot of research comparing exercise and stress in nurses. Lots of studies showing stress, using biological markers and nurse feedback, and lots of research showing the benefits of exercise on stress, but no study comparing the two. Many other coping strategies have been looked at, social support, relaxation, etc, but none just looking at exercise. My bachelors degree is in exercise physiology and I have always been interested in the stress response and how exercise impacts that, so I thought this would be a great study to do.

Who knows, maybe I'll get it published!

SpiritedRN · May 28, 2009

This is a very interesting perspective to take on this as I am really very suprised that this has been overlooked. Thanks for this idea.

Christen, ANP · May 29, 2009

What an interesting topic, Rach78! What do you think the outcome of your study will show?

I started out my project wanting to look into what exactly causes nurses and healthcare professionals to make the decision to not wash their hands, but after meeting with my committee, we couldn't figure out how we would get this to work out here, and it got a bit too complicated.

One of my committee members did a similar project to what I'm proposing in the ED and we hope to compare the results from an acute care facility to an outpatient facility. Should be interesting!

SpiritedRN · May 29, 2009

I find it shocking that healthcare professionals could neglect washing hands before and after being with a patient and with procedures. It is so essential to our fundamentals of nursing class and so hypervigilant these days with MRSA and the numerous germs when patients are in need of nursing care. Most hospital settings have the antimicrobial soap pumps at the doors outside the doors of each individual room as yet another visual reminder.

Christen, ANP · May 29, 2009

I agree, which is why it's so facinating to me that the compliance rates are so low! Most studies demonstrate

rach78 · May 29, 2009

I agree with you on handwashing. I can't understand why you wouldn't want to wash your hands when leaving a patient room. I have eczema and it can get pretty bad on my hands and washing them makes it worse...sometimes it burns, but I still do it religiously. I just keep plenty of steroid cream in the pockets of my scrubs. It is an essential responsiblity of nurses to do everything possible not to transmit infections from patient to patient.