Kaitlyn Nice
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Introduction
Throughout my Honors experience, I have explored research and developed skills to strengthen my knowledge as a nursing student. Below are a few of my experiences as a Nursing Honors student: I performed an honors contract in which I wrote a paper on an event, "Voices of Healing," that I attended. My first nursing honors research class, where we strengthened research skills. My last nursing honors research class, where we are writing a research article.
Nurs-B253 Collaborative Practice (Fall 2023)
Collaborative Practice explored communication, self-awareness, professionalism, and team concepts. Throughout the class, we focused on a patient case: Lewis Blackman, and wrote a paper following his story. Lewis Blackman was a fifteen-year-old who underwent a surgery to correct a defect of his chest wall, pectus excavatum. He received Toradol, a strong painkiller, and died on postoperative day 3 due to a well-known complication of this medication: a duodenal ulcer that perforated due to a lack of treatment.
Application is no longer available.
Application is no longer available.
As my honors contract in this course. I attended a "Voices of Healing" Event and wrote a paper about what I learned. Ted Meyer, the speaker, talked about his healthcare journey with Gaucher's disease (a bone and joint disorder) and how art therapy helped him heal and build strength. He has now been helping other people with art therapy all around the world. He led a conversation and had a section to showcase his art. To the left, I have included my paper and some of his artwork.
Reflection
The Lewis Blackman paper helped me better understand the healthcare system and the nurse's duty to a patient. The nurse in the case of Lewis Blackman overlooked important assessments during his 3 days post-operatively, and could have prevented the complication that arose from the medication, resulting in death. Patient advocacy and understanding that the patient knows their body best are extremely important and would have been beneficial in this case.
The "Voices of Healing" event was eye-opening to see Ted Meyer's perspective as a patient and what helped him or did not help him. The things that he took with him from being in/out of the hospital were very interesting. One thing that stuck out to me is that he remembered the artwork on the wall and every time he saw a red vase,, it reminded him of his time in the hospital. This experience was truly amazing and showed me the true effects of how alternative therapy, like art, can help someone.
Nurs-H498 Honors Colloquium (Spring 2024)
This course was my first honors research class in nursing school. We learned about PICO questions, how to find research articles, and how to identify significant information. This class prepared us for our future honors colloquium classes, when we would have to write a research paper. We read research articles, conducted faculty interviews, had guest lectures to learn more about different research topics and the process, and submitted reflective journal entries. To the right was a partner assignment where we created a PICO question, identified inclusion and exclusion criteria, found research articles that fit all the criteria, and answered questions.
Application is no longer available.
Reflection
I really enjoyed this class and all the information that I learned. I always struggled with finding resources, especially the peer reviewed journals. In nursing school, it is extremely important to find peer reviewed articles and evidence-based articles to validate our discussions, essays, and care plans. This class helped me in finding great websites that encompass these peer reviewed journals, like EBSCO. I was able to collaborate with my fellow honors nursing students. I also just loved knowing that I have them throughout the rest of my years to rely on whenever I need help and just grow great friendships with.
I had never thought of researching in the future. After hearing about the process of researching I realized that it is not something that I would want to do in the future. Throughout this class there were many guest speakers that came in and although I loved hearing about their studies, I do not think that I would personally like to do it. Although I do not see myself doing research in the future, I am excited to be divided into smaller groups in the future. I chose Dr. Chen Chen for my honors class in Fall 2024 because I really liked what topic she talked about when she came into our class. She studied dysmenorrhea which was really interesting to me because in the future I have been thinking about specializing in Women’s Health. I am really glad that Dr. Chen Chen got to come in and tell us about her research because it played a huge factor in which honors class, I chose to enroll in for Fall 2024. Her research ties into Women’s Health and I think it would be beneficial in my future practice to understand dysmenorrhea.
This honors class was a great first step into the Nursing Honors Program. I believe that these Honors research classes will help me with finalizing my specialty choice in the future as well. I will use the research techniques that I learned in this class for my future nursing and honors classes. This class has already been helping me writing my papers and finding peer reviewed articles. I can use these research skills in the future whether I choose to pursue the research or bedside of nursing. As a nurse everything is constantly evolving, so I will constantly be needing to freshen up on my knowledge. The rules and policies in each facility are also different. Understanding the nursing laws and rules will help me better provide the best evidence based, patient centered care possible. Finally, this class has also helped me better understand what I want to do after graduating with my BSN. I have always wanted to become an NP, but other people in the class have made me think about CRNA as well.
Nurs-H498 Honors Colloquium (Spring 2026)
In the final honors colloquium course, we are writing a research paper as a group. There are four of us in the class, so we are splitting the paper into sections. First, we concluded research articles we wanted to use in the paper by sifting through many articles. Then we all created draft introductions. After that, we received our section we will be writing, and I received the methods section. I created a draft methods paragraph and wrote the section in the abstract as well.
Draft Methods Section
The study was reviewed and determined to be exempt by the Indiana University Institutional Review Board (ISB). Data was obtained through a cross-sectional online survey conducted in January of 2026 using a research panel managed by Dynata. The
analysis focused on participants between the ages of 35 and 65 years old. According to the United States Preventive Services Task Force, this age range is highly recommended for cervical cancer screening every 3 years, HPV testing every 5 years, or the combined screening every 5 years (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2018).
Participants were eligible if they had an annual household income of less than $50,000, were able to read and write in English, had not undergone a hysterectomy, were accepted under the ISB, were women who had completed the eligibility criteria survey, and had been sent email invitations from Dynata. Exclusion criteria include an annual household income greater than $50,000, not being able to read or write in English, having had a previous hysterectomy, not completing the eligibility criteria survey, and women who did not receive an email invitation from Dynata. Following email invitations, participants were sent a brief overview of the study, and if they chose to proceed, they were prompted to fill out the questionnaire. No formal written consent was required due to this research study being classified as exempt and minimal risk.
Methods Section in Abstract
We conducted a cross-sectional online survey via a Dynata research panel. Participants were women aged 35 to 65 years old (N = 1997). Recruitment was done via an email invitation from Dynata to eligible women. After initial contact, participants who chose to proceed were prompted to fill out a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics and healthcare utilization. Bivariate analyses and multivariable regression models were used to identify the willingness of participants in self-vaginal collection.
Reflection
Overall, this class has helped me understand the details that go into writing a research article. Expanding my knowledge about research article terms, criteria, and sections has improved my ability to read through articles. I will use the information I have gained from this class for my final undergraduate classes, staying up to date while in practice, and if I decide to go back for a higher educational license. I have improved my teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills throughout this class that have already helped me and will continue to help me in the future.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have learned valuable information regarding keeping up to date on nursing practice through research. I am able to obtain information through reading a research article better than before. I have gained insight into ethical issues in nursing that I can take with me into practice. I have also learned about different coping mechanisms and interdisciplinary practices in healthcare that I can utilize as a Registered Nurse.