Fostering enthusiasm for research: Insights of undergraduate nursing students

Abstract

Engaging undergraduate nursing students in research is essential to promoting evidence-informed nursing, but can prove challenging. The purpose of this article is to highlight key experiences of four undergraduate nursing students who are enthusiastic about research with the potential to inform the education and training of undergraduate nursing students in research. Analysis of our own experiences emphasized that enthusiasm for research is promoted by the following factors: love of learning, opportunities for collaboration, support, confidence, overcoming research related challenges, research visibility and realizing the impact of research. Research related challenges and the invisibility of research served to diminish our enthusiasm. From these observations, we concluded that to promote nursing student enthusiasm for research, opportunities for exposure to research need to be available, allowing students to grasp the nature and impact of nursing research. More studies are needed to assess the research experiences of undergraduate nursing students.