Stephanie Becherer made use of the University Scholars program to do research during her nursing education.
Stephanie Becherer: Research from a nursing perspective
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Durham, NC -- Stephanie Becherer, a Duke nursing graduate student and University Scholar, just finished her master’s of science in pediatric acute and chronic care nursing degree.
“Graduate and professional school University Scholars are outstanding, innovative students who have exhibited wide interdisciplinary interests and commitments,” according to the program guidelines. “They show evidence of profiting by intellectual collaboration and interchange at the very highest levels. They are good communicators who can share their specialized knowledge. They are excited by ideas and are capable of seeing how ideas from other fields can be translated into their own course of study.”
University Scholars also receive financial support that covers their tuition, funding to support a presentation at an interdisciplinary conference or one outside their discipline, and “intellectual support” including seminars, coffees, and other gatherings where the scholars share ideas and network across the academic disciplines.
“When I got the call from [Director of Admissions, Student Services] Bebe Mills saying that I had been chosen, I was elated,” says Becherer. “I couldn’t believe I had been selected for this incredible opportunity. I was, of course, thrilled about the scholarship, but the program seemed to fit my interests perfectly. My research area is interprofessional collaboration, primarily between nurses and physicians, but the program has given collaboration a whole new meaning.”
She adds that she would now like to compare and contrast the relationship between registered nurses and nurse practitioners with the one between physicians and registered nurses to see whether there are any differences in the willingness to collaborate in each case. She hopes that work will inspire the development of interventions that can improve collaboration and therefore the quality of patient care.
She has accepted a position as staff nurse in the cardiac intensive care unit at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Fla.
