Opinion: Nurse-scientists shouldn’t have to choose between research and caring for patients
While physician-scientists are supported in splitting their time between research and clinical work, nurse-scientists are not.
Every day, nurses make decisions that shape not only how patients recover but how they experience illness.
Take patients recovering from sepsis, who are often under sedation on a ventilator. Evidence urges daily sedation breaks to prevent delirium, but guidelines rarely acknowledge the fear of suddenly waking up in a maze of tubes. These moments — where protocol clashes with human need — make nurses want to be scientists and figure out better answers. While the three of us have had that chance, most don’t. That needs to change.
