Patrick Beasley
"My favorite aspect of the program is its flexibility. As someone who works three jobs, program flexibility is important to me. A DNP student can start the program any semester they choose, and they can take one, two, or even three classes a semester. All the courses are offered online, but unlike other online programs at different universities, if I need to talk to someone face-to-face, SVSU is just a short drive away. Additionally, SVSU is the lowest cost option for graduate school in the state."
As a student in the DNP program at SVSU, I am respected as a peer among the faculty at SVSU. They are more than willing to sit down at a local restaurant to have lunch with me and discuss complex course content to help me gain a greater understanding while being in a comfortable environment. Additionally, the faculty that teach in the DNP program come from diverse backgrounds and they have diverse educational preparations. Therefore, they bring different viewpoints to the program which broadens my knowledge. My decision to do to graduate school came about as I was completing my bachelor's degree here at SVSU. There was a time in my life that I never thought I would attain a bachelor's degree. When I was in elementary school, it was noticed that I was not keeping up with the other students. In third grade, I went through testing to determine why I was struggling in school. It was at this time that I was diagnosed with dyslexia. After this diagnosis, I was placed in special education reading and writing classes. During my freshman year of high school, I asked my school counselor to put me in the “normal kid classes,” because I realized I would never catch up to the other kids unless I was in the same classes as them. However, I realized I would have to study much harder than the other kids in school due to my dyslexia. So, I did. I started studying like a college student in high school, and well, I never stopped. Once my bachelor's degree was in sight, I thought to myself, “Well, I made it this far… I should just keep going then.” Now, after completing two master's degrees here at SVSU, I thought I should give that doctorate program a try.I will be using translational science to enhance environmental comfort in hospitalized patients through nonpharmacologic interventions. With the opioid epidemic and the move in hospital reimbursement from a fee-for-service structure to a value-based structure, this project is very timely. One of the goals of nursing is to provide an environment that promotes comfort for the patient. It is the individual’s perception of comfort that is important to nursing as the nursing client evaluates how well nursing interventions meet their comfort needs. Perceptions of an increase in comfort lead to the reinforcement of habits and goals that were successful in attaining that comfort (Kolcaba, 1994). Then “when patients and their families are more comfortable, they engage more fully in health-seeking behaviors that include internal behaviors, external behaviors, or a peaceful death” (Kolcaba, Tilton, & Drouin, 2006). The relationship between health-seeking behaviors and comfort is reciprocal because health-seeking behaviors also can enhance comfort (Kolcaba, 1994). My project will provide the hospitalized patient greater comfort and better health outcomes while increasing revenue and reducing costs for the hospital.
