Phone Call with Margaret

I finally stepped up to the plate again and talked with Margaret regarding trying to finish writing the thesis. To get started, I first will need to beef up my introduction and literature review. I intend to expand and elaborate on the evolving history of the graduate nurse along with college graduates in general. 

A rough draft of chapters will be (hopefully) as follows:

• Update Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 by December 5, 2012
• Update Chapter 3 by December 20, 2012
• Create Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 by December 30, 2012

Margaret to make determination of when to send to committee. 

Per CSUSB Graduate Office,  the following deadlines apply for Winter Graduation: 

• First Format Review Deadline: February 15, 2013
• Thesis Defense Format Deadline : March 8, 2013
• Final Format Review Deadline : March 15, 2013
• Binding Payment Deadline : March 22, 2013

A couple of other notes from our phone include: 

• Have a phone meeting with my statistician (Emily) or setup email conversations (last week of November or 1st week of December best)
• List all variables by type
• Create tables of cohorts with response rates
• By Age, Gender, Race
• Table of Hypothesis descriptors
• Schedule Thesis presentation
• Keep in mind mostly descriptive with multivariate analysis, multiple regressions (somewhat path analysis)

IRB Expedited Review

My IRB application passed through expedited review. They wanted a little extra detail regarding the following:

1. Confidentiality: Missing procedures and rationale. Without a procedure and rationale you may not collect personal email and telephone numbers. Please revise the confidentiality section.
2. Please clarify what contact information you plan on collecting, how you will collect it and how you will keep this information confidential.

Once I get some feedback on how to submit changes, I hope to get these two items corrected and start soliciting participation as soon as the end of next week.....

IRB Submitted

IRB application was submitted this past week.

Here is the latest version.

Employability Website

I stumbled upon this website as I continue to build up my reference library. It is a collection of papers and reports from a 2005 conference. It will need some more exploration but it seems to provide many resources. 

Additionally, I am going to try and find a handful of US based authors/experts about employability of new college graduates. Probably need to start looking in the Business/Human Resources arena a little to find something.

Survey Instrument Rough Draft

I went ahead and put together a rough draft of the survey instrument. After contemplating to actually build the instrument in a online survey tool, I decided to type a draft to allow for easier comments, adjustments, and IRB approval.

Please take a moment to view (Google Docs)

Still needed are directions about how to collect contact information separate from anonymous information.

Also, please note the blog security settings have been switched back on. To view the blog, you will need to have a Google account. This does not necessarily mean you have to have a Google Email (Gmail) account. For more information, visit Google New Account setup. And of course, if you have any questions please email me or schedule a phone appointment at your convenience.

Office visit with Margaret

Visited with Margaret and Teresa during lunch hour(s). 

Teresa + Margaret: 688

Teresa wanted to clarify the requirements and plan of action for Nursing 688 - Advanced Role Practicum. 

Objectives for the course will be: 

1. Obtain IRB approval for research project
2. Complete Portfolio
3. Pilot research design and methods

By completing the above tasks, I should be able to record the required 60 hours in my clinical log. 

A quick impromptu discussion related to my career path and goals highlighted the fact even with my latest employment redirection into clinical informatics, I am still dedicated to become a nurse educator in the academic arena. The opportunities that lie on the path ahead will continue to shape my exact niche of expertise. My interest are first and foremost instructional design in nursing education.

Margaret: Research Brainstorming

Margaret and I spent a solid hour brainstorming about the research project and how to get it through IRB approval. A possible solution to the anonymity, is to collect the information in two separate databases from the same instrument (if possible). I need to contact the Department to see if I can have access to a SurveyMonkey account. 

We also explored the discrete data that we would be seeking after. I will be putting together a instrument with possible questions, and cited sources, later tonight. We would like to pilot the instrument as soon as possible after IRB approval. 

The employability theorist, Lee Harvey, is willing to openly correspond as needed. I mentioned that he has received negative press in recent years due a conflict with a peer. However, he is still regarded as a international expert in student survey methodology. 

Things to do:

• Rough draft survey instrument
• Get  in contact with HR Professor at CSUSB
• Flatten Harvey's model into linear format
• Contact department for survey monkey possibilities

Questionnaire Development

With some concerns expressed by faculty over the validity of an instrument to collect the desired variables, I am trying to weld together an instrument from existing published tools. Some of which I am considering including the following:

2010 Census

HRSA RN 2008 Survey Instrument
View in Google Docs

Education Benchmark Institute Senior Exit Survey
View in Google Docs

Education Benchmark Institute Alumni Survey
View in Google Docs

Also, I am currently trying to get in contact with Lee Harvey to determine how willing he would be to offer his expertise. He has been cited as a "internationally renowned expert in student surveys" though he was the center of controversy in 2008 (see article). It looks as though the best way to contact him might be through Journal of Quality Education in Higher Education which he serves as Editor in Chief.