For over 20 years, the National League for Nursing (NLN) has actively supported research in nursing education with the Nursing Education Research Grants Program. Within the past five years, the program has funded nearly $400,000 for research in nursing education. We are excited by the many innovative research studies that our researchers have proposed, in areas including simulation, self-efficacy, competency, mental health care, gender and student diversity, medication errors, academic progression, instrument development, leadership, transition for new graduates, workplace bullying, interprofessional communication, cultural competency, clinical judgment, and many others. Awardees have ranged from novice to established researchers. Methodologies used have included qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies.
The consistent theme for all the studies being funded is that they support the four NLN Priorities for Research in Nursing Education: 1) build the science of nursing education through the generation and translation of innovative teaching and learning strategies; 2) build faculty teaching practice; 3) create partnerships, including inter/intraprofessional education and global initiatives, that advance learning and enhance health care equity and client care; and 4) build a nurse faculty workforce to meet the needs of nursing education, staff, administration, and health care.
Start planning now to submit your proposal for 2023. Grant proposals are submitted each year via SurveyMonkey Apply; the submission cycle opens shortly after the conclusion of the NLN Education Summit. (This year, the Summit takes place in Las Vegas, September 28-30.) Proposals are given a blind review by three NLN members, with the goal being to match each reviewer with proposals in their areas of expertise. Proposals are then evaluated using the NLN Proposal Review Rubric. New processes have been created to share the reviewers' feedback with the researchers to strengthen their research and help develop future submissions.
In the past five years, the NLN Nursing Education Research Grants Program has funded 17 percent of the applications submitted. It includes the following funding opportunities:
* NLN Research in Nursing Education Grants (maximum grant up to $30,000),
* Mary Anne Rizzolo Doctoral Research Award ($2,500 for doctoral student), and
* Edmund J. Y. Pajarillo Health Informatics and Innovation Collaborative Research Award ($2,500 for graduate student).
In addition, the NLN is proud to offer the following cosponsored awards:
* Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS)/NLN Doctoral Research Award ($2,500),
* Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS)/NLN Doctoral Research Award ($5,000),
* Sigma Foundation for Nursing/NLN Research Award ($5,000), and
* Western Institute of Nursing (WIN)/NLN Research Award ($5,000).
The NLN Nursing Education Research Grants Program is successful because of the widespread support it receives from our volunteer reviewers. If you are a published researcher, consider being a reviewer for the NLN. Reviewers are asked to complete a brief survey to determine their interests and eligibility. Once confirmed, they must complete an NLN webinar on the grant review process for which one contact hour is awarded. Reviews are usually assigned in late February with completed reviews due in approximately two weeks. If you are interested in participating, we are now accepting online applications for 2023.
The NLN is celebrating 2022 as the Year of the Nurse Educator. An important part of supporting our nurse educators is funding their research, supporting their innovations, and implementing their solutions to generate evidence for our teaching practices of the next generation of nurses. There is no better time and way to support nurse educators than by making a donation to the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education in recognition of the Year of the Nurse Educator. We will support as many robust proposals as our funding permits.
For all our nursing education researchers, we look forward to receiving and reading your grant proposals!