Online Program

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Thursday, October 18
Thu, Oct 18, 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Caprice 3-4
Speed Session 2

Training the Next Generation of Women Scientists: Statistical Training Priorities for Nurse Scientists (304888)

*Jacqueline Mogle, Penn State University 
Diane Berish, Penn State University 

Keywords: Interdisciplinary, Nursing research, Statistical curricula, Statistical training

Women represent almost 90% of the nursing workforce including in the area of nursing research; doctorally-prepared nurses that conduct rigorous research focused on understanding and improving health, health behaviors, and healthcare environments. The gender dynamic of nursing as a women-dominated field may impact priorities in training in statistics and data science through implicit assumptions about student needs. This project examines the current state of training in statistics and data science among the top 30 ranked nursing programs. Reviewing the curricula for these programs, we examined the number of credits and types of courses required in quantitative methodologies, requirements around courses in specialized statistical analyses (e.g., multilevel modeling, big data techniques), and availability of experiential learning opportunities applying statistical analysis in real-world data. In general, only fundamental statistics courses (e.g., linear regression) were required by nursing doctoral programs. The most common required specialized course was on measurement and psychometrics. Implications for strengthening quantitative training programs in nursing will be discussed.