Abstract
Background: The future of nursing scholarship relies on developing research capacity throughout the professional education trajectory. Nurse educators find motivating undergraduate nursing students to engage in the research process a challenge.1 Understanding of the nursing research process and its link to optimal clinical practice is not well understood by undergraduate nursing students.2 Global health challenges and issues impacting nursing education, such as faculty retirements and decreasing numbers of nurses pursuing research-focused doctoral degrees, necessitate introducing nursing students to the research process early, creatively, and consistently throughout their educational journey.3
Purpose: Describe the challenges and lessons learned in developing a mentored undergraduate nursing research fellowship program to build future nursing science and scholarship capacity.
Results: The Essig Mentorship Program was designed to promote undergraduate student nursing research interest and skill development, with the added benefit of faculty mentorship skill-building. Changes to the program schedule from only summer term to fall and spring terms and research topic and methods expansion have increased the applicant numbers. Challenges of program timing, student academic commitments, availability of research faculty to mentor students, faculty-perceived lack of personal mentorship skill, and the understanding of the research-practice link required a reimaging and refocusing of the program. Lessons learned from addressing these challenges continue to increase the diversity and number of applicants and have provided early career researchers with the opportunity to be mentored by senior research faculty in preparation for future mentor roles.
Conclusions: Continued development of an undergraduate nursing research experiential learning opportunity by addressing today’s challenges provides the opportunity to increase student research skills and improve faculty mentorship ability. These undergraduate programs provide a critical and innovative avenue for educating nurses to contribute to the body of scholarship needed to meet global health challenges.
Notes
References:
1. Smith, C. R., Martsolf, D. S., Draucker, C. B., Shambley-Ebron, D. Z., Pritchard, T. J., & Maler, J. (2016). Stimulating research interest and ambitions in undergraduate nursing students: The research-doctorate pipeline initiative. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(3), 133-140. doi:10.3928/01484834-20160216-03
2. Coyne, B. M., Kennedy, C., Self, A., & Bullock, L. (2018). A comprehensive approach to undergraduate nursing students’ research experiences. Journal of Nursing Education, 57(1), 58-62. doi:10.3928/01484834-20180102-12
3. Corbett, C. F., Wright, P. J., Donevant, S. B., Wickersham, K. E., Raynor, P. A., Vick, L. L., Chappell, K. K., Abshire, D. A., Dawson, R. M., & Andrews, J. O. (2023). Next generation nurse scientists: A systems approach to engaging undergraduate students in research. Nursing Outlook, 71, 1-9. doi: 10.1016j.outlook.2023.102054
Additional reference list included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Alpha Iota
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Mentoring and Coaching, Curriculum Development, Nursing Education, Advances in Education, Nursing Research, Scholarship, Undergraduate Nursing Students
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Elizabeth Ann and Sherwin, LeeAnne B., "Building Research Capacity: Challenges and Lessons of an Undergraduate Nursing Research Program" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 155.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/155
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-02
Building Research Capacity: Challenges and Lessons of an Undergraduate Nursing Research Program
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Background: The future of nursing scholarship relies on developing research capacity throughout the professional education trajectory. Nurse educators find motivating undergraduate nursing students to engage in the research process a challenge.1 Understanding of the nursing research process and its link to optimal clinical practice is not well understood by undergraduate nursing students.2 Global health challenges and issues impacting nursing education, such as faculty retirements and decreasing numbers of nurses pursuing research-focused doctoral degrees, necessitate introducing nursing students to the research process early, creatively, and consistently throughout their educational journey.3
Purpose: Describe the challenges and lessons learned in developing a mentored undergraduate nursing research fellowship program to build future nursing science and scholarship capacity.
Results: The Essig Mentorship Program was designed to promote undergraduate student nursing research interest and skill development, with the added benefit of faculty mentorship skill-building. Changes to the program schedule from only summer term to fall and spring terms and research topic and methods expansion have increased the applicant numbers. Challenges of program timing, student academic commitments, availability of research faculty to mentor students, faculty-perceived lack of personal mentorship skill, and the understanding of the research-practice link required a reimaging and refocusing of the program. Lessons learned from addressing these challenges continue to increase the diversity and number of applicants and have provided early career researchers with the opportunity to be mentored by senior research faculty in preparation for future mentor roles.
Conclusions: Continued development of an undergraduate nursing research experiential learning opportunity by addressing today’s challenges provides the opportunity to increase student research skills and improve faculty mentorship ability. These undergraduate programs provide a critical and innovative avenue for educating nurses to contribute to the body of scholarship needed to meet global health challenges.
Description
Future nursing scholarship and evidence-based practice relies on developing robust nursing research capacity. Nurse educators have encountered many challenges in motivating undergraduate nursing students to engage with research activities. The Essig Mentorship Program supports undergraduate nursing student research activities and allows research faculty to build mentorship skills. Lessons learned from implementing this program improved responsiveness to student and faculty engagement needs.