Nursing Research
Journey of Discovery!
The nursing research council was launched June 23rd, 2004. It began its trail of discovery by teaching through a "sweet and sour lemonade" study and then "targeting the needs" of staff nurses through a survey launched by the council. The council began sponsoring Nursing Research Week in 2005 and it has already established a rich history of learning through many discovery groups. Please see links below to learn more on the Council Goals and our Discovery Groups.
Brochure
Discovery Groups
Through the data collected from our survey and ongoing annual plans we are addressing needs of UHS nurses on their trail of discovery! This webpage is an extension of the voiced concerns on learning how to "uncover the knowledge embedded in our clinical practice".
This page has been developed with Patricia Benner's "From Novice to Expert" theory to address the needs of all levels of nursing experience. We are starting at the beginning allowing you to explore the first level of Novice/Advanced Beginner to help you in your quest for knowledge!
Novice/Advanced Beginner
"The best educated human being is the one who understands most about the life in which he is placed." Helen Keller, American Writer and Lecturer
Nurses at UHS provide the best examples of the joy of discovery. Please take a moment and read about how nursing research has made a difference for these nurses' practice.
Click here to view Novice Stories...
Randy Beadle, BSN, RN, CCRN
Patient Care Coordinator, Surgical Trauma Intensive Care
Let's face it, to most of us the thought of research can send chills down your spine. An obstacle that I had to overcome was my phobia associated with the word.the first thing that flashed in my head was the drama associated with writing research papers, however, we all know I was comparing apples and oranges.
I feel fortunate to have been able to work with such professionals as Dr. Carol Reineck, and Evelyn Swinson-Britt in this discovery group. My experience was positive in that I was attenuated to new terms and how to use them in the massive world of research. Through working with such a professional team my experience has been enlightening and one that energizes you to, let's say, "turn over a few more rocks." I still consider myself a novice in this vast field, and consider myself very fortunate to have taken the initial steps that many never will.
Irene P Lopez, RNC
Educator, NICU/Newborn Services
The NICU started its Research Discovery Group in late February. Besides being a class to learn about research, gathering our particular discovery group was to discuss researching the effectiveness of Sweeties (sucrose based oral analgesia) for newborns during painful procedures. I enjoyed every minute of this group. Every class offered an opportunity for me to learn something new about research. Even the way I read research articles has changed. Not only is the Sweeties question still open, I'm also looking into validity testing of pain scales used in the NICU. (And, because of the Discovery Group, I have learned that there is a difference between validity and reliability.)
Susan Pawkett, RN, BSN, OCN
Nurse Educator HOB
I have been an active member of the Research Council for the last three years. In all honesty my participation hasn't been driven by a love of research or a great desire to solve all nursing's unanswered questions. As a novice nurse I thought research and statistics were tools used by scientist. They were necessary to create theories but were not part of the real world. Somewhere on my journey towards becoming an expert this thinking evolved and the line between theory and real world became blurred. I began to realize that every practice in the real world was created from research. That being a good nurse was more than knowing pathophysiology, doing skills and caring. It was assessing and evaluating (nursing process) every task and determining if it was best practice. It was this realization that sparked my interest in the Research Council. I needed to learn more about research to become a better nurse. Being a part of the Research Council and attending a discovery group has given me the confidence to look at research and make sense of it. As I continue on my journey towards becoming an expert I hope someday to take the next step and solve at least one unanswered question by doing my own research.
Language should not be a barrier to our acquisition of new knowledge. Please use the alphabetical directory to look up the research term you need to understand. This glossary is being used with permission from Lippincott and Denise F. Polit and Cheryl Beck, the authors of "Nursing Research: Principles and Methods", 2007.
Polit Glossary - Version 8
Finding literature should not be a challenge. Please see the links below for easy access to obtaining knowledge that is already easily available to you!
Visit the UTHSCSA library online
EBSCO CINAHL Database
Help: Searching EBSCO CINAHL CINAHL handout
Now that you have all of this great literature, finding your way through it can be challenging. Carol Reineck, PhD, CNAA-BC, COI, Associate Professor, Department of Acute Nursing at UTHSCSA School of Nursing has developed a course that will take you through critical reading of a research publication in six lessons. To access this course please use the link below...happy reading!
Critical Reading of Research Publications Plus
