Supporting dissertation work through a nursing PhD program federal grant writing workshop.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Grant Writing Skills
• PhD Education

Background:

• Nurse researchers require external funding for projects.
• A grant writing workshop was developed for PhD students.
• Focus on F31 Individual Fellowship and R36 Dissertation Grant applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• Describe a federal grant writing workshop for nursing PhD students.
• Present participant feedback and study outcomes.
• Evaluate the workshop's effectiveness in securing funding and advancing research.

Main Methods:

• A three-half-day workshop was designed, incorporating mentor participation and follow-up.
• Participant satisfaction was assessed via evaluations.
• Outcomes measured included grant submissions, project implementation, and time to PhD completion.

Main Results:

• Workshop evaluations were highly positive.
• 58.6% of participants submitted 21 grant applications; 23.8% were funded.
• 75.0% conducted their dissertation research, irrespective of funding, with no increase in program completion time.

Conclusions:

• The workshop effectively supports PhD students' dissertation research.
• Key success factors include proper timing and mentor involvement.
• Schools of nursing are encouraged to implement similar grant writing workshops.