COURSE SYLLABUS

NRSG 896: RESEARCH IN CLINICAL NURSING

Spring 2006

Margaret Wilson, PhD, CPNP

Associate Professor of Nursing

and

The Graduate Faculty, College of Nursing

THIS SYLLABUS MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED OR CONTENT USED EXCEPT

WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA COLLEGE OF
NURSING
 UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
COLLEGE OF NURSING
GRADUATE NURSING PROGRAM
Parent/Child, Administration, Education & Science Department

NRSG 896: RESEARCH IN CLINICAL NURSING

Instructors: Peggy Wilson, PhD, CPNP, Associate Professor of Nursing and

The Graduate Faculty, College of Nursing

Course Description: Under supervision of graduate faculty, the student

participates in a research utilization project and communicates the project in
writing and in a scientific form.

Prerequisites:NRSG 805-Research Methods for Advanced Nursing Practice must

be taken prior to enrolling in NRSG 896.

Grading: Pass-Fail grades are assigned for NRSG 896 by the research advisor.
Students who select the project option must register for a minimum of five credits
of NRSG 896.

Objectives: Upon completion of the project the student will have:

1. Formulated a research proposal related to faculty expertise or ongoing

faculty research.

2. Collected data in a clinical, laboratory or field setting, or from an

existing data set.

3. Analyzed the data using appropriate methods and devices.

4. Written a final report of the investigation.

5. Presented the findings of the research, either as an oral presentation

or as a poster at the Spring Research Colloquium, the Fall Student
Research Forum, or at another scientific form.

Procedural Requirements:

1. Select project advisor and negotiate project participation. (See attached

NRSG896 contract template)

2. Project Approval
Students should submit the following information to the College of Nursing
Graduate Office:
a) Student Name
b) Faculty Advisor
c) Title of Project
d) Signed 896 Contract
Enrollment for project credits usually begins the semester following the
successful completion of NRSG 805 and must be continuous until completion of
the project. Students whose projected graduation date is more than 3 semesters
in the future may delay registration for 896 with the approval of their academic
advisor. Registration for NRSG896 credits must be approved by the research
advisor each semester.

3. Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Students must complete the Required Training in the Protection of Human

Research Subjects during the first semester of NRSG 896 registration.
Information needed to register for this online training may be found at:

http://www.unmc.edu/irb/citi/

A copy of IRB approval, or faculty=s IRB approval, including exempt status,

must be placed in the student=s file in the College of Nursing Student
Services Office prior to data collection.

4. The project is not complete until the final project has been presented in a
scientific forum and the bound report and extra abstract page is filed in the
Graduate Nursing Office. Students must remain registered for NRSG896
until the project is completed. Some students may need more than the
minimum number of credits to complete the project.

General Guidelines for Project Proposal

1. Introduction to problem, including significance.

2. Purpose
A. If in ongoing faculty research:
1. Statement of purpose from faculty=s proposal
2. Statement of student=s purpose (i.e. what student proposes to do
in project.)

B. If not in ongoing faculty research:

1. General aims and specific purpose

3. Research question(s), hypotheses, or specific aim(s).

4. Review of literature pertinent to research

question(s)/hypotheses/specific aims.

5. Methods (including Data Analysis Plans)

A. If ongoing faculty research:
1. Brief description of overall methods including, if appropriate,
 description of existing data set.
2. Detailed discussion of methods student will use.

B. Not related to faculty research:

1. Full description of methods

6. Format of final written project (negotiated between student and

faculty).
COMPLETION OF NRSG 896 RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS

Students must continue to register for NRSG 896 every semester (summer excluded
unless student is working on the project during the summer term) until the project has
been completed. The project is not complete until the research has been presented
in a scientific forum, and a bound copy delivered to the College of Nursing, Graduate
Nursing Office. Some students may need to register for more than the minimum
number of credits to complete the project.

Preparation and Submission of Final Written Report

The format for the final research project is negotiated between the research advisor
and the student. A sample title page is attached. The paper should be double
spaced. The margins should be at least one and one-half inches at the left to allow
for binding and one inch on each of the other three sides. If folded tables are
included, they should have the same margins as the text, or should be folded to come
within them. The references should be completed in APA format. The page
numbering should appear in the upper right-hand corner.

Binding
When the final copy has been approved by the research advisor, and the Approval
Form signed, the student must have 2 copies bound with a permanent binding. This
may be spiral or other permanent binding from a commercial copy center. There is
no requirement for paper weight or rag content for the bound copies that are to be
presented to the Graduate Nursing Office and the advisor. Students can print the
copies on regular copy paper and have them spiral bound for around $3.00 per copy
at a print shop such as Kinkos.

If students would like a hard-bound copy with their name printed on the cover to
keep for themselves, the McGoogan Library will bind as many copies of the
manuscript as the student would like. Copies to be hard-bound by the library
must be printed on 16-20 lb., white, 25% rag content bond paper. This
special paper is usually available at most print shops. The student should take
the printed copies to the McGoogan Library, select the color of binding, the color
of printing for the cover, and pay the binding fee of $10 per copy. The library will
bind the manuscript and notify the student when the binding is complete. The
library does not keep a copy of the student paper.

The Final Step

One copy of the bound document along with the original Approval Form signed by the
research advisor, and an extra copy of the project abstract and title page must be
presented to the College of Nursing Graduate Nursing Office by the deadline date
before the student is certified to graduate. The deadline to file copies for May.
2006 graduation is 4:30 pm on Friday, April 28, 2006.
One bound copy of the project is presented to the research advisor.
CHECKLIST:
___Approval Form signed by Advisor
___Two copies of research paper bound.
___Submit Approval Form, one bound copy of the research paper, one copy of abstract,
and one copy of title page to the Graduate Nursing Office (Room 4041) in the College of Nursing by
4:30 pm on Friday, April 28, 2006 in order to graduate in May.
___Submit one bound copy to research advisor.
 Sample Title Page

INCIDENCE OF PRESSURE ULCERS: A COMPARISON OF

TWO SUPPORT SURFACES IN AN

AT-RISK SKILLED NURSING CARE FACILITY POPULATION

by

Jane Smith Doe, B.S.N., R.N.

A Research Project

Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate Nursing Program

at the University of Nebraska Medical Center
In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements
For the Degree of Master of Science in Nursing

Under the Supervision of

Madonna A. Smith-Jones, Ph.D., R.N..

Associate Professor of Nursing

Omaha, Nebraska

March, 2002
 UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
College of Nursing

NRSG 896: Research in Clinical Nursing

Contract for Student Experience/Participation in Research Project

It is recommended that students discuss potential research topics with multiple faculty
before deciding on a project. Once a good match is found between the student’s
clinical/research interests and a research advisor, it is the student’s responsibility to
initiate this contract. This contract is a template that is to serve as a springboard for
negotiation of the NRSG 896 research project. Faculty and student need to negotiate and
complete the following contract within the first 4-6 weeks of enrolling in NRSG 896
credits. Feel free to delete those areas under each of the nine headings that are not
applicable to the student’s project. Once it is complete, it is the student’s responsibility to
turn the contract in to Marian Marchand in the Graduate Office, College of Nursing,
Omaha Division. The student and advisor each retain a copy. If changes occur during the
completion of the research project and the student and faculty advisor need to renegotiate
the contract, please submit the changes to the Graduate Office.

Student (s):___________________________________
_______________________________
___________________________________
_______________________________

Group project: _____ Yes _____ No

Faculty Members: ____________________________________________________
Date of Contract: ______________________
Date(s) Student(s) Completed Statistics Requirement
___________________________________
List date or semester statistics was completed

1. Determination of the Research Problem.

The research problem is selected from the research interest of the faculty members
and is negotiated with the student. Please describe:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
__________________

2. Student Responsibilities.
The student will primarily be involved in the following activities:
A. Reviewing and synthesizing pertinent literature related to: (Please list areas to be
addressed.)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
 ____________________________________________________________
_________
B. Obtaining relevant permissions, as needed (i.e., community agency, etc.)
____________________________________________________________
___
C. Organizing and supervising the gathering of data from research subjects using the
materials provided by Dr. _____________________.
D. Obtaining statistical consultation with research advisor.
 E. Entering and analyzing data with research advisor.
F. Completing requirements for the research courses at UNMC as specified in
syllabi for NRSG 805 and NRSG 896 including registering for at least 5
credit hours in NRSG 896. (This translates into approximately 225 hours
of effort devoted to the research project.) The student must be
registered for NRSG 896 every semester until the project is complete,
including presentation and submission of final approved bound
document to the Graduate Nursing Office.
G. Writing a report of the completed project in a format negotiated between student
and research advisor
H. Provide research advisor with copies of any communication from the IRB.

3. Faculty Responsibilities
_________________ will serve as research advisor. This involves providing
regular guidance, monitoring progress toward completion of requirements,
reviewing written materials, and providing timely feedback to the student.

4. Time Line
The targeted date of graduation is ____________ (Mo/year). To achieve this goal,
the following activities and dates will be targeted:
Activity Projected Completion Dates
CITI Training _____________
Proposal completed _____________
Relevant permissions obtained _____________
IRB application submitted _____________
Data collection finalized _____________
Data analysis finalized _____________
First draft of manuscript/final product _____________
Final draft of manuscript/final product _____________
__________________________(Other) _____________
__________________________(Other) _____________
Please provide written materials one week in advance of any meetings with your advisor
to allow adequate time for faculty review.

5. Distance students
The bulk of the research project advisement can frequently be done by e-mail and
telephone conferencing. However, if faculty and/or students feel that in-person
meetings are needed each semester during which the student is enrolled in NRSG
896, please negotiate the number of meeting times for each semester and include in
this contract.
Semester # of meeting times
______________ _________
______________ _________
______________ _________
______________ _________
6. Costs
The PI __________________ will provide
_________________________________ (e.g., money for copying questionnaires,
laboratory tests, etc.) for conducting the study.
7. Final Product
The format for the final product will be negotiated between the research advisor
and student. (An example of one possible final product is the first draft of a
manuscript written to journal guidelines.)

8. Publication
See the NRSG 896 Syllabus for submission of the final document to the Graduate
Nursing Office - Room 4041, College of Nursing. Authorship determinations
will be made consistent with the ethical standards of the discipline as published
in:
King, C.R., McGuire, D.B., Longman, A.J., & Carroll-Johnson, R.M. (1997). Peer
review, authorship, ethics, and conflict of interest. Image: Journal of Nursing
Scholarship, 29, 163-167.
Guidelines for Scientific Integrity, published by Midwest Nursing Research Society,
available online at www.mnrs.org.

The student and faculty may prefer to identify one projected publication and its scope
and authorship. Some projects may not stand alone for publication, and may need to
be combined with other pilot work within the faculty member’s program of research.

9. Ownership of Data
The faculty members will retain copies of the data set and will respect all
confidentiality rights of the participating school and students.

Discussion and signed on (Date) ___________________

_______________________________________
_____
Faculty Signature

_______________________________________
_____
Student Signature*

A faxed signature or an email note saying the student agrees with the contract is
sufficient.

08/18/00
 Approval Form

A copy of the final paper for NRSG 896-Research in Clinical Nursing

for

has been approved by

me.
(Student Name)

This student has presented the findings of the research, either as an oral

presentation or as a poster at the UNMC College of Nursing Spring Research

Colloquium, the Fall Student Research Day or at another scientific forum and has

fulfilled all NRSG 896 research requirements for the Degree of Master of Science

in Nursing.

________________
________
Advisor Date

The original signed copy of this form must be submitted to the Graduate Nursing
Office along with one copy of the final bound research paper, and one extra title
page and abstract.