Challenges and Tips for Experienced Grantwriters: Movement into Nursing Education Research

Description/Overview: This session,the second part of Grant Writing, is part of the Center for Excellence in Nursing Education (CENE) at Sigma Theta Tau-Chamberlain College of Nursing's Faculty Professional Role Development Program which is designed to assist faculty members achieve career goals that lead to promotion and/or tenure. Specifically, the Faculty Professional Role Development Program is committed to assist faculty members on tenure-track positions and clinical, non-tenure track positions progress through the ranks of the educational academy. While expectations of faculty members in various ranks vary from university to university, entrance into, and movement throughout the educational system frequently requires nurse educators to seek funding for projects designed to implement and evaluate 'best practices' in nursing education. Challenges inherent in nursing education research will be explored and TIPS (Thoughts, Ideas and Possible Strategies) will be discussed. Challenges include the historical reluctance to acknowledge the importance of nursing education research and increasing acceptance over the past decade (Fitzpatrick, 2012). Subsequent difficulties in obtaining funds to conduct nursing education research will be identified. Specific agencies and foundations which fund research in nursing educational topics will be explored. TIPS to be reviewed include selection of an appropriate team to conduct nursing education research, including all key personnel including the Principal Investigator, Co-Investigators, graduate research assistants and support staff. The importance of a compelling abstract to document the need for the research along with any preliminary studies which have been conducted will be reviewed. Budget considerations with limited resources for nursing education research will be discussed. One example of a research program in nursing education conducted by the speaker will be presented. The research program, which focuses on support for Hispanic and other minority students in programs of nursing began with "Missing in Texas: Hispanics in the Health Care System". Following this qualitative study to explore the perceptions of Hispanic students, two instruments were developed to assist faculty members and administrators assess their programs and institutions for the degree of support offered to minority students.