PhD in Nursing Science Program

Examples of broad clinical research questions include:

1. Does the administration of pain medication at time of surgical incision reduce the need for pain medication twenty-four hours after surgery?
2. What maternal factors are associated with obesity in toddlers?
3. What elements of a peer support intervention prevent suicide in high school females?
4. What is the most accurate and comprehensive way to determine men’s experience of physical assault?
5. Is yoga as effective as traditional physical therapy in reducing lymphedema in patients who have had head and neck cancer treatment?
6. In the third stage of labor, what is the effect of cord cutting within the first three minutes on placenta separation?
7. Do teenagers with Type 1 diabetes who receive phone tweet reminders maintain lower blood sugars than those who do not?
8. Do the elderly diagnosed with dementia experience pain?
9.  How can siblings’ risk of depression be predicted after the death of a child?
10.  How can cachexia be prevented in cancer patients receiving aggressive protocols involving radiation and chemotherapy?

Examples of some general health services research questions are:

1. Does the organization of renal transplant nurse coordinators’ responsibilities influence live donor rates?
2. What activities of nurse managers are associated with nurse turnover?  30 day readmission rates?
3. What effect does the Nurse Faculty Loan program have on the nurse researcher workforce?  What effect would a 20% decrease in funds have?
4. How do psychiatric hospital unit designs influence the incidence of patients’ aggression?
5. What are Native American patient preferences regarding the timing, location and costs for weight management counseling and how will meeting these preferences influence participation?
6.  What predicts registered nurse retention in the US Army?
7. How, if at all, are the timing and location of suicide prevention appointments linked to veterans‘ suicide rates?
8. What predicts the sustainability of quality improvement programs in operating rooms?
9. Do integrated computerized nursing records across points of care improve patient outcomes?
10. How many nurse practitioners will the US need in 2020?