University of Pittsburgh

The purpose of this site is to introduce you to this course and how you may prepare for making the research practicum a meaningful experience.The attached course syllabus provides the objectives of the course, while the other documents linked to this site will guide or assist you in meeting those objectives.The following information  provides answers to questions frequently posed by students planning to take the course.

First, the point of this course is to build on previously acquired knowledge from NUR 2001.In that course you learned about theory and how it relates to research and building new knowledge.You also learned about the various methods used in research and the numerous ways researchers design a study to answer a question. In this course, we apply that knowledge in various ways.

As healthcare professionals we are consumers of research and we often conduct research. Through your participation in a research project with a preceptor, you will learn about the conduct of a study and will have hands on experience in many phases of research.  In the classroom, we will critique the scientific or empirical literature so you can gain additional experience in evaluating published research and determining if you wish or should incorporate the findings into your practice. Therefore class attendance and participation are extremely important.

Another aspect of research is the dissemination of findings. This is done through scientific presentations at professional conferences and through publications.At the end of the term you will do a PowerPoint presentation of your experience in the practicum so you will gain experience in how to develop and deliver a formal scientific presentation.

It may interest you to know that some students, in the context of the practicum, have participated in writing and submitting an abstract to a professional conference and have gone on to present the paper at the conference. Other students have participated in writing a paper and being an author of a published paper through this course. In other words, this course is what you make it. There is potential to have a very rich experience that will go beyond this one term course.

Other documents linked to this web site include the Guidelines for Research Critique. It is recommended that you print this or download the document so you can use it for  each article that we critique in class. Saving your notes from this exercise may be very helpful to you when it comes time to prepare for your comprehensive exams later in the program.

FACULTY CONTACT:

Currently the two faculty members who teach this course are Dr. Mary Ann Sevick and Dr. Lora Burke. Fall 2002, Dr. Sevick will assume the role of Coordinator of the Research Courses for the master’s program.If you have questions about this or related courses, please contact Dr. Sevick at sevick@pitt.edu.

   Frequently Asked Questions

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