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At ����ɫ��ҹ University, undergraduate student research is a massive part of many students’ academic lives, but the benefits don’t stop at the classroom door. Undergraduate student researchers have the opportunity to develop a wide array of skills that prepare them for a successful and fulfilling career in their chosen field.

Many of the skills developed by undergraduate student researchers can be directly compared to the career competencies that the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) consider to be instrumental in career readiness. Career readiness is a crucial component in securing entrance into the workforce after graduation, and ����ɫ��ҹ University’s undergraduate student researchers have the skills for success.

NACE lists career and self-development, communication, critical thinking and analyzing, equity and inclusion, technology, teamwork, leadership, and professionalism as the eight key skills most valued by employers. ����ɫ��ҹ University’s undergraduate student researchers develop and refine all eight of these key skills in their time as researchers, making them highly desirable to employers.

Wayne Nieh is one of ����ɫ��ҹ University's undergraduate student researchers who met and exceeded NACE’s career competencies. Nieh graduated from ����ɫ��ҹ University in the spring of 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Nieh was active in research at ����ɫ��ҹ University for three years, including participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program for SURE 2021 with mentorship from Dr. Daniela Popescu, and SURE 2022 with mentorship from Dr. Amy Petrinec and Dr. Cindy Wilk.

Nieh’s research initially began with his first SURE project titled “A Review Study of Vitamin K, the Forgotten Vitamin,” which explored the role of vitamin K in human health. Nieh credits his first SURE project with encouraging him to broaden his understanding of research, and he went on to complete his second SURE project testing a new instrument at Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, called the “Family Willingness for Caregiving Scale (FWCS),” which was designed by Dr. Cindy Wilk during the phase of her PhD study to measure “the willingness of family members to become caregivers to a loved one receiving mechanical ventilation while in an adult intensive care unit (ICU).” After his experiences in the SURE program, Nieh was challenged by Dr. Petrinec to propose a new study. This study was titled “Family Presence During Resuscitation: A Descriptive Study of Perceptions of Nursing Students,” which served as Nieh’s honors thesis study.

A major part of undergraduate student research is personal development, and Nieh gives credit to Dr. Petrinec and Dr. Wilk’s mentorship for helping him establish himself as an individual. He explained that “working and studying under their mentorship taught [him] the lesson of humility” because there was always more that Nieh could learn from them. His time as a student researcher allowed Nieh to recognize the importance of research. Nieh also detailed how he gained wisdom from Dr. Petrinec, who taught him that “nursing education is not merely the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think, to be creative in problem solving, and to lead with compassion in healthcare and education.”

Another major takeaway from Nieh’s time as an undergraduate student researcher was improved communication skills. In nursing, being able to communicate professionally in a wide variety of situations is crucial. As a student researcher, Nieh learned the “art and techniques of therapeutic and effective communication,” which included skills such as “verbal and nonverbal communication, active listening, written communication, cultural awareness, the power of silence, compassion, and presentation skills.” The communication skills that Nieh gained through student research benefit him in research projects, networking, and in the workplace by allowing him to interact with patients, patients’ families, and other professionals. Nieh’s opinion on the importance of communication skills is clearcut, stating “these skills are necessary for multidisciplinary teamwork in healthcare, promoting patient safety, and resolving potential misunderstandings and conflicts among colleagues.”

Critical thinking and analyzing is another career competency that Nieh mastered in his time as an undergraduate student researcher. When Nieh would run into issues or uncertainties, he was encouraged to “think rationally and creatively to arrive at potential solutions,” which he would then test in research applications. Critical thinking is crucial in a clinical setting, and Nieh learned to utilize critical thinking to prioritize patients’ needs and safety and to ask questions to advocate for patients. Nieh’s critical thinking and analyzing skills were truly tested when he took the NCLEX board exam. The NCLEX board exam tests a nursing student’s ability to think and read critically to prioritize tasks in a given scenario and to respond quickly to promote patient wellness and safety. Nieh’s critical thinking skills have allowed him to thrive in both a lab and clinical environment.

Nieh stated that research is where he “learned the ropes of becoming a critical thinker, an analyst, a leader, and a team player.” Working with a wide array of people is a component of undergraduate student research, and Nieh detailed how his time as a student researcher taught him that “togetherness is the real strength,” and helped him realize that each individual on a team comes together to strengthen the group as a whole. In Nieh’s eyes, “a leader is a servant,” and Nieh’s experience as a student researcher taught him how to best serve others. Some of the leadership skills that he gained as a student researcher include open communication, empathy, strategic thinking and problem solving, time management, responsibility, and reliability—all of which mark Nieh as a fantastic potential employee.

Many of the leadership skills that Nieh lists also appear again in the career competency for professionalism. Nieh noted that effective communication and being a team player is necessary to build trust and relationships among teams. In Nieh’s experience as an undergraduate student researcher, problem solving and taking initiative were crucial to his research being successful. He had to learn to prioritize and manage numerous different projects, which required highly efficient time management and organizational skills. Nieh’s stance on professionalism is built around respect and reliability.

Nieh’s experience as an undergraduate student researcher truly prepared him for his career. Some of the biggest takeaways that Nieh had from his undergraduate student research include to “always respect all people, no matter what kind of work they do, because you can always learn new knowledge and gain new insights from others,” and the importance of humility, because “humbleness is a virtue of a true scholar.”

When Nieh’s experience as an undergraduate student researcher is compared to NACE’s career competencies, Nieh is revealed to be an ideal potential employee. Today, Nieh is employed at University Hospitals Lake West as an OR nurse and is studying to earn his Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Nieh utilizes the skills he developed during his time as a student researcher every day. Nieh’s time as an undergraduate student researcher primed him for his career, and he highly recommends that students participate in undergraduate research. Nieh believes that undergraduate research gives students a thorough education in their field of study while also providing valuable training for their future careers.

Click here for an article detailing some of Nieh's research.

Written by Lenore Kohl