Although I originally thought the research competency would be the most boring and difficult to achieve, it has proved to challenge me in a positive way. When I came to college, I saw many flyers and posts about undergraduate students completing research projects and although I found it interesting, I would have never thought that would be a possibility for me. I am so glad Ginny Walters, the former Honors Associate Director, pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to find a research team.

           Throughout both high school and college, I had several opportunities to complete research projects and papers. I gained greater knowledge on research terminology, concepts, and evaluating sources for credibility during the past few years. For example, through the library activity in Honors 201 I learned the factors that ensure credibility of sources. For example, the criteria include if they are peer-reviewed, their relevance to the topic, when they were written, and if the authors are trusted in their field (HONR201). After learning about evaluating sources, I was better prepared for completing future papers and projects.

            During my freshman year of college in GEOG103 I was able to put this knowledge to use as I was tasked with an assignment where I needed to find five articles from credible sources to review (Article Review Project). This assignment was geared towards learning more about the relationship between geography and nursing while also evaluating articles for credibility. During the summer of 2020, I challenged myself by taking an Honors 400 level seminar course regarding the Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas. This was one of the most difficult courses I have taken in college as it was both rigorous and on a topic I have little interest in. None the less, I took this course and our final project allowed us some freedom by choosing a topic related to our career field while researching to learn more about the topics discussed in the course. I used the research skills I had previously developed to write a research paper on medicinal practices in the ancient Aztec, Maya, and Inca populations (Ancient Medicinal Practices Project). This project proved to challenge me in a positive manner as I found the information I learned to be extremely fascinating, despite typically having a lack of interest in the overall topic and having to learn how to write using the Chicago format - something I had not done in the past. During my pathophysiology class sophomore year, we were given a group project where we were tasked with researching a specific disease to create both a paper as well as a diagram to show important information an individual should know (Alzheimer's Disease Group Project). The information included items such as risk factors, signs and symptoms of the disease, and how the disease process occurs within our bodies. At the time it was difficult to connect all of these pieces together, but using accurate and relevant information found within articles was helpful and helped to build my skills in using information to create new products, such as the diagram. 

            During my junior year of college, I was a part of a group project in which we had to create a theoretical quantitative research project to close a gap in research. For this project, I used my previous knowledge to find scholarly, peer-reviewed articles to gain more information and determine our research topic. My group and I chose to examine "the relationship between alcohol consumption among nursing students and their educational performance" (Quantitative Project).

           Aside from learning and understanding the importance of using credible sources, this project also helped me understand terms such as quantitative data, independent and dependent variables, correlation, null hypothesis, standard deviation, and sample (Link to Quantitative Project). Since then, I have had the privilege to work alongside Dr. Tammy Neiman and Dr. Maya Bastian on a research project that looks at LGTBQ+ older adults views on aging and end of life care. Through this I have learned about creating an outline, defining criteria for eligibility of participants, how to find participants, and conduct surveys and interviews to collect data. We then compiled all the research information together to understand our findings and overall results (Conducting Research with Professors). Next steps include presenting our findings at the Midwest Nursing Research Conference.

           The most beneficial experience for me was being pushed to complete a research project with professors, although it was challenging at the beginning. Each of these projects have helped me to better understand research terminology, evaluating sources for credibility, and ultimately the research process. I hope to take the concepts with me in my future as a nurse to ensure I follow evidence-based practice.