Can you please describe your educational experiences?
I started the Ph.D. program in August of 2016 and ultimately graduated in May of 2020. I completed a part-time plan of study, so I typically took two or three courses each semester. While it did require careful time management and focus, I was able to balance working full-time with my coursework. One of the most helpful aspects of my Ph.D. program was that faculty recognized students also had full-time jobs and often other family or personal responsibilities. The faculty maintained appropriate levels of academic rigor and expectations while also allowing flexibility in course schedules and assignment deadlines. I also developed strong collegial relationships with the other students with whom I attended classes, and I truly enjoyed getting to learn about their lives and professional experiences.
Why did you decide Mennonite College of Nursing for Ph.D.?
I started looking at Ph.D. programs in 2015. There were three primary reasons that I chose MCN for my Ph.D. First, MCN had (and still has) a great reputation, and I heard many positive comments about the University, college, and faculty. I also knew that MCN produced high-quality, competent graduates. Second, I found the program very affordable, especially compared to other similar programs across the country. And third, from a practical perspective, MCN was close to home – only about 90 minutes from where I lived at the time. When I attended MCN for my Ph.D., the majority of classes were held in-person. However, that has since changed, and most class time is online, which makes the program even more accessible to individuals who live farther distances from ISU.
What was your experience like in the Ph.D. program?
The Ph.D. program really taught me to be a researcher. I grew so much in how I thought about theory, research, and clinical practice and how these three categories are intertwined. I was challenged by my faculty to think about my personal research interests and to grow those interests into a program of research.
The faculty were always supportive and answered my (sometimes many) questions without delay. Being in the Ph.D. program, I always felt more like a colleague than a student, in the sense that faculty were always interested in our perspectives as students; class was often more discussion-based, rather than lecture-based, and it was evident that faculty valued our personal experiences and expertise.
Why did you decide to pursue your Ph.D.?
From the time I was in elementary school, I found research interesting. I always enjoyed being able to ask some unanswered question and then finding that answer. I participated in several science fairs during my time in primary and secondary school. By the time I started my BSN program, I knew that I wanted to be involved with research in some capacity, though I was not sure exactly what I would do or how I would do it. A lot of credit goes to my undergraduate academic advisor and now long-time friend and mentor, Dr. Sheryl Samuelson. Sheryl invited me to participate in research with her during my first year in the undergraduate program; that project ultimately provided me the opportunity not only to conduct research but to publish it in a peer-reviewed journal and to present the work locally, regionally, and nationally. This work fully ignited my passion for nursing research.
As much as I have always appreciated research, I have also always enjoyed teaching, and so after working for a few years as a clinical nurse full-time, I decided to earn a master’s degree in nursing education. During my MSN program and clinical work at the hospital, I continued to engage in evidence-based practice and research initiatives. I ultimately decided that I wanted to continue to teach and conduct research; I concluded that an excellent way to accomplish both of those things was to earn a Ph.D.
What advice would you give a nurse considering pursuing a Ph.D.?
There are so many different pieces of advice that I could give, depending on the situation. But at the end of the day, I think I would say this: It sometimes seems like a Ph.D. in nursing would be impossible. But it is not impossible. It is a lot of work, yes, but so is a pre-licensure degree in nursing, like an ADN or BSN. I actually found my time in the BSN program to be more stressful and difficult than my Ph.D., not because the Ph.D. was “too easy” or because the BSN was “too hard” but because the Ph.D. program is set up in a way to allow folks more time to think and to complete work. There is a lot of memorization, and there are a lot of exams in an ADN or BSN program. But the Ph.D. is much more paper- and project-centric. I found that I was able to schedule my time more easily with the Ph.D. program and was better able to schedule myself around family events, work, and other aspects of my personal life. I really encourage folks to reach out to one or more folks with a Ph.D. in nursing to ask about the experience and to better understand what having a Ph.D. in nursing can do for a person. I am always happy to talk to folks who are considering this journey.
Can you describe what a typical week looks like as an associate professor?
I would qualify my answer to say that I am in a tenure-track position at MCN, and the typical week can vary, depending on the particular school and position responsibilities and requirements. With that said, my week is largely split into three categories: teaching, scholarship, and service.
I can give you a snapshot of my typical week during the spring 2024 semester as an example.
- Mondays I spent most of the day working on providing student feedback. I would review and provide comments on clinical paperwork that students submitted from the previous week’s clinical along with work submitted by students in the Writing a Review of the Literature that I taught on Fridays. On occasion, I might have attended one or more research team meetings virtually, depending on the availability of my other team members.
- Tuesdays were typically my heavier service-related days. I would often attend one or two MCN committee meetings. These committees help to support MCN and the work that the college does. I would also sometimes have meetings related to the professional organizations of which I am a member, like the American Heart Association’s Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. If I could fit it in, I would sometimes have a research meeting in the morning. Tuesdays were also a day for me to focus on the next day’s clinical. I would prepare special discussion topics or other activities that I wanted to focus on during clinical.
- I taught clinical on Wednesdays from 6:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Because of the early morning and longer day, I would typically try not to schedule any meetings for post-clinical, so that I could recharge after the clinical day.
- Thursdays, I spent time working on research. Some Thursdays, that might have involved reading newly-published research work related to my program of research or attending a virtual webinar on some pertinent topic. Or it might have involved data analysis or drafting a new research paper, reporting the findings of my research. Often, I would attend one or more meetings with research teams of which I was a part.
- Fridays were usually split between teaching and research. I would teach the Writing a Review of the Literature course for the Ph.D. program and spend time in reading, writing, and attending research meetings.
Why did you decide to become a faculty member at ISU?
I decided to join the MCN faculty for many of the same reasons I chose MCN for my Ph.D. The college has had a sustained legacy of excellence, including NCLEX pass rates that have exceeded state and national averages. And, perhaps more importantly, MCN graduates have always had a solid reputation in the area. I felt confident joining a place with this excellent track record. In addition to MCN’s reputation, I was interested in further developing my program of research. I was looking for an opportunity to have more time to conduct research, and I also wanted to find a school that could provide additional research support, like a college statistician. Importantly, joining the MCN faculty still allowed me to continue teaching. I did not want to join a faculty where I would be solely conducting research or solely teaching; I wanted to do both. MCN provided, and still provides, that opportunity.
What is your favorite aspect of your career?
There are many aspects of my career that I enjoy, but I think my two favorites are the ability to shape nursing overall and to see lightbulb moments in my students.
I have opportunities to make a difference in multiple ways, related to my teaching and research:
- From a teaching perspective, if I do an excellent job educating new nurses, I’m sending dozens, and eventually hundreds, of excellent new nurses “into the world.” While I enjoyed working full-time at the bedside, during those night shifts I only had a direct impact on the patients for whom I cared. But as an educator, the students that I teach go on to have their own patients, hopefully recalling and implementing various lessons that I taught them. So, in some way, I have an impact on many more patients than my own through my teaching.
- Ultimately, I hope that my program of research makes a difference, as well. Not only am I able to add more knowledge to the nursing evidence base, but I am also able to make a difference in the lives of the population. Every time I brainstorm a new research study, I think about how it can make a difference to the nursing profession and to people.
I also enjoy teaching students and coaching them to become the best nurses that they can be. It is rewarding to see the “lightbulb moments” that they have and to see their confidence grow over the course of the semester.
What do you see yourself doing in 5-10 years?
I love what I do. And for that reason, I see myself doing much the same in the coming years. I plan to pursue eventual promotion to full professor and to continue honing my program of research, expanding into more intervention-focused research. I also hope to further expand my teaching in the graduate program.
