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Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Nursing
Notes
- Abstract:
- Background: Doctoral education defines academic achievement in most disciplines including the nursing profession. For nurses committed to excellence in nursing education, research, and practice, doctoral education is a desired professional goal. For nurse educators, doctoral education is the path by which teaching needs of the profession are fulfilled. Unfortunately, less than 1% of nurses hold a doctoral degree. One of the challenges faced by deans and program directors of schools and colleges of nursing is to devise strategies to expedite doctoral education that will produce qualified doctoral faculty to prepare future generations of nurses. Purpose: The purpose of the study, using the phenomenological approach, was to explore the simultaneous experiences of being a faculty member and Ph.D. student and to uncover the essence and gain a deeper understanding about the phenomenon. Methods: The researcher used hermeneutic phenomenology, the interpreting and understanding of the human experience, guided by van Manen’s method to analyze the data. The participants were asked to describe their experiences as well as any rewards and challenges of being a faculty member and nursing doctoral student simultaneously. The data were analyzed for themes and structure of meanings that will eventually lead to a description of the essence of the phenomenon Results: Six related themes of role confusion, lack of time, sacrifices, painful process, in need of support, and new perspective emerged as a result of this phenomenological investigation. These themes illuminated the nurse faculty members’ experiences of simultaneously being a nurse faculty member and PhD student, and Stark’s (2004) middle range theory of meaning provided a framework for gaining a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. Conclusion: This research study revealed the challenges and rewards of being a nurse faculty member and PhD student simultaneously and the participants’ effort to find meaning in their journey through the doctoral process. The findings of this study highlighted the essence of their experiences by revealing that the obstacles, sacrifices, time constraints, and pain of pursuing a PhD; they embraced numerous positive aspects of the experience including professional and personal growth and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Therefore, understanding the depth of how this experience affected the nurse faculty members can be fundamental in eliciting support and understanding on the journey towards the PhD.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Barry University, 2013.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-165).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Lolita Ann McCarthy. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- RT79.M33 2013_McCarthyLolita ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- RT79.M33 2013 ( lcc )
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