Getting published in a peer-reviewed clinical journal is a major step for any nursing professional, and it is often an opportunity that only graduate students are fortunate enough to secure.
But undergraduate student Gabrielle Allman recently got a head start in this area by using her personal experience shadowing in the emergency department to give insights on how to improve education for future nurses in a new article in the Journal for Emergency Nursing (JEN).
“When my clinical instructor, Lauren Beam, heard my interest in emergency nursing, she had me shadow her at the end of a semester to get a feel for what it’s like in an emergency department,” said Allman.
This exposure led Allman to work with Dr. Fabrice Mowbray, an assistant professor who came to the college with a diverse background in emergency care (research and clinical). After two years of working together, Mowbray wanted to further Allman’s research and publication experience. Her previous shadowing in the emergency room led Allman to reflect on her experience and write an article for the Journal for Emergency Medicine.
“We wanted to get more exposure for me in my career,” said Allman. “We decided to move towards a primary editorial with myself as the lead author for the Journal of Emergency Nursing.”
In her article, she recommends that university systems and hospitals create curricula and clinical experience related to emergency medicine and a clinical rotation to prepare new nurses. Allman noticed that like most nursing programs, the Michigan State University College of Nursing didn’t have an emergency room rotation.
“Getting published is extremely exciting for me. I feel like my view and experience as a nursing student in the emergency department can help guide nursing education,” said Allman. “My hope is that MSU and other universities can see how useful this kind of education could be for a nursing student.”
Dr. Anna Valdez, editor-in-chief of the Journal for Emergency Nursing, was pleased to run Allman’s story.
“I believe it is the first student perspective paper we have published,” she said. “I know our readers will enjoy this short article.”
Becoming a nurse wasn’t Allman’s original goal. However, after an extended hospital stay during her sophomore year, she realized nursing was her calling.
“When I had my two hip surgeries, I was able to see firsthand the level of care that nursing provided,” said Allman. “I had the most conversations with these nurses and developed a relationship with them. This is what drew me to nursing.”
Outside of Allman’s personal hospital stay, she grew up with stories from her aunts about their experiences in healthcare. One aunt is a nurse practitioner, and another is a doctor in an emergency department.
“The exposure through my aunts and my passion to help people really helped set me up for nursing,” said Allman. “The fact that I can impact people on the worst days of their lives and help them is important to me.”