Methods: A qualitative study using a phenomenological approach was performed to explore the lived experience of doctoral nursing students’ week-long Washington, D.C. Immersion and its impact on future practice. After obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, data were gathered using Google Forms to obtain doctoral nursing students’ experiences after participating in a week-long Washington, D.C. Immersion as part of their mandatory doctoral coursework at a Mid-Atlantic college in the United States. The survey was emailed to a total of 43 doctoral nursing students (PhD and DNP), 30 of which met the inclusion criteria with a total of 15 participants (n=15). Demographic data analysis, in addition to thematic analysis of survey responses using NVivo, were performed.
Results: After thorough review of the data, using NVivo and thematic analysis of the 15 responses with saturation being obtained, four themes emerged from the analysis to describe the experience and impact the week-long Washington, D.C. Immersion experience had on doctoral nursing students. The themes that emerged were: Knowledge and Understanding of the Political Process; Nursing’s Role as an Advocate for the People; Empowerment through Increased Awareness; Recognition of the Role Professional Nursing Organizations Play in the Political Arena.
Conclusion: Through increased knowledge and awareness of health policy, doctorally prepared nurses may be more inclined to seek and engage in the political arena and actively participate in advocacy efforts to improve health policy and the healthcare system, overall.