May 2015
Donna
Bliss
,
PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA
University of Minnesota School of Nursing
Minneapolis
,
MN
United States
Dr. Bliss’s out-of-the-box engagement of students and topics was superlative in that it demystified the methods and designs of qualitative research.
My classmates and colleagues and I represent a broad spectrum of nursing concerns and research philosophies. Our areas of practice and research foci run across the lifespan from neonatal intensive care to pediatric behavioral health, to exploring leadership in BSN nursing students, to the preservation of life quality for elders living with diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and related illnesses, and through palliative care, and also care at end of life, including hospice. The diversity of our perspectives would have challenged any educator. Through her outside-of-the-box thinking, Dr. Bliss brought a harmonious unity to the course topics, such that we could each relate them to our respective interests.
Dr. Bliss was confronted with variability in philosophical approach to research and varying degrees of comfort and confidence with quantitative research. Dr. Bliss’s out-of-the-box engagement of students and topics was superlative in that it demystified the methods and designs of qualitative research. She allowed students to approach from a place of common knowledge and adventure, integrating the use of videos, PowerPoints, telephone, and Skype to keep us all connected and engaged. Finally, her Socratic approach to this work naturally lent itself to the cultivation and further development of esteem and confidence across the students.
Dr. Bliss was confronted with variability in philosophical approach to research and varying degrees of comfort and confidence with quantitative research. Dr. Bliss’s out-of-the-box engagement of students and topics was superlative in that it demystified the methods and designs of qualitative research. She allowed students to approach from a place of common knowledge and adventure, integrating the use of videos, PowerPoints, telephone, and Skype to keep us all connected and engaged. Finally, her Socratic approach to this work naturally lent itself to the cultivation and further development of esteem and confidence across the students.