NOOO!!!! Advanced Nursing RESEARCH!?!?!?!?

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Nov 1, 2008

Yep. The old sacred cows are doomed to die.

Embrace nursing research. We are building a rich history of it within our own profession. It's one of our keys to autonomy and advancement.

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Nov 1, 2008

By reading it. I don't need a class on how to read and understand an article.
I believe forcing research classes on people who are not going to work as a researcher is just another way to scarf money for schools and give professors in that field a job.
It does nothing to add prestiege to the nursing profession, just looks like a bunch of busy work.

As a future researcher, I hate to tell you that it's not just 'busy work,' if you're planning on becoming a APN. 'Prestige' aside, if you are a practicing nurse, you are using principles that have been researched and shown to be best practice.

And for the record- research performed at Universities brings money into the institution. They're not trying to 'scarf' your money, and find something to do, and I'm sure they don't consider their contributions to the profession to be 'busy work.'

Trauma Columnist · Nov 2, 2008

I am not a fan of research because of its tedious nature and statistics needed to understand it. However, I do participate in research studies because it furthers the professionalism of the advanced practice nurse. Without research, we could just as well guess at what's wrong with our patients.

A BSN program teaches the basics of research and any nurse who is BSN-prepared, will have received this education.

GoLytely - may I ask where you did your BSN that you didn't take research?

Jo Dirt · Nov 2, 2008

I could not disagree with you more vehemently. It is very naive to say you'll understand literature by "reading" it. HOW are you going to read it critically if you haven't been taught? You can't just read an abstract and take the researcher's conclusions as truth. It's meaningless to read research articles unless you have been trained to evaluate the quality of the research aims, methodology, results and the authors' interpretation of such. I can't believe you've reached the end of a bachelor degree without understanding that.
Like it or not, evidence-based medicine is here to stay (and for very good reason!). Those who refuse to accept it are doomed to be the ones giving as rationale for their actions the old "we do it like that because that's how we always did it". Nursing - and our patients - deserve better.

Why do I have to take a bunch of extra classes to appreciate EBN practice? Also, I don't know many nurses who use that old line "we've always done it that way." Also, nursing practices are based on theory.

I think the key word you mention is abstract. The phrase a word to the wise is enough and many words won't fill a bushel comes to mind. Some people can take classes their whole lives and not understand something. Others don't need a class to be good at what they do.

For a doctorate I can understand the research classes, but not a master's.

It would just have to be one of those classes I take in the summer to get it over with quickly.

Jo Dirt · Nov 2, 2008

I am not a fan of research because of its tedious nature and statistics needed to understand it. However, I do participate in research studies because it furthers the professionalism of the advanced practice nurse. Without research, we could just as well guess at what's wrong with our patients.
A BSN program teaches the basics of research and any nurse who is BSN-prepared, will have received this education.
GoLytely - may I ask where you did your BSN that you didn't take research?

I never said I did a BSN and didn't take research. I'm working on a BSN now. I should graduate in May 09 and right now I'm suffering through nursing research. I don't like it. A lot of it is subjective not to mention tedious and boring. If you want to work in research and it's your thing that is wonderful but beyond this survey course I don't see how forcing more of it is going to make a better nurse. Like I said, leave the research up to the people who want to find out the information and let the rest of us learn from them.

Jo Dirt · Nov 2, 2008

As a future researcher, I hate to tell you that it's not just 'busy work,' if you're planning on becoming a APN. 'Prestige' aside, if you are a practicing nurse, you are using principles that have been researched and shown to be best practice.
And for the record- research performed at Universities brings money into the institution. They're not trying to 'scarf' your money, and find something to do, and I'm sure they don't consider their contributions to the profession to be 'busy work.'

No, I'm sure they don't. And I guess we will all understand better when we have to become PhDs and write books no one will read.

Joan Z · Nov 2, 2008

I had this discussion with one of my professors during my MSN program--with a lot of eye-rolling on my part. Her research was in making results of nursing research more user-friendly and applicable to practicing nurses of all levels. I told her good luck and I would keep an open mind.

I do not wish to go into research but I do appreciate a well-designed and executed research program which bears on my practice. Some parts of my research class were not exciting. However, I do appreciate that when a drug rep brings lunch and "the latest research" I can ask coherent questions about WHY this latest and greatest is better than the $4 from Wally World--better than any of the MDs and DOs I work with. Plus I can talk to my patients, some of whom are in research fields themselves, and explain why I'm advising them to follow a course of action.

I did not LIKE the class, I still wish most of the nursing research I see could be more useful. But I'm glad to have finished it.

Jo Dirt · Nov 2, 2008

I hear all that romancing/soliciting from drug representatives is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Good thing, too. I can't stand when they are pushing their way ahead of patients' appointment times to get in with the doctor and go through their spiel.

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Nov 2, 2008

No, I'm sure they don't. And I guess we will all understand better when we have to become PhDs and write books no one will read.

You are aware that you may have to get a DNP in the future, if you want to be a NP, right? Guess what that will entail? More research courses.

There are plenty of NPs who participate in research projects in 1 capacity or another. There are many physicians that perform research with their patient populations. Are you going to avoid working for any practice that engages in these types of activities? You may have a hard time specializing, if you do.

Most research is not done in book form, BTW.

birdgardner · Nov 4, 2008

I'm in the OP's position here - maybe because my undergrad research class showed most nursing research to be so dang boring compared to medical research - either insignificant, or obvious, or self-referential, giving its greatest benefits to the professors who attained tenure or got a nice conference trip out of it.

I did come across some good stuff at the NP level, so maybe there's hope.

It would be better if research were incorporated into each class as EBP.

zenman · Nov 4, 2008

By reading it. I don't need a class on how to read and understand an article.
I believe forcing research classes on people who are not going to work as a researcher is just another way to scarf money for schools and give professors in that field a job.
It does nothing to add prestiege to the nursing profession, just looks like a bunch of busy work.

All professions are research-driven...like it or not.

Joan Z · Nov 4, 2008

After reading birdgardner's post I went back to look at case studies from my research class--all medical except one and that had to do with adopting a survey tool in a Spanish-speaking population. So the lesson to be learned was that you can't automatically assume results/methods from one group will be applicable in another--had nothing to do with the topic of the original study.

Given that as NPs we use medical research results all the time we still need to know what we are talking about. Don't dis all research in patient care because you don't like the topics picked by one set of researchers. Nursing is still trying to establish itself as a science. It will be nice when we can see real and useful results.