Research productivity following nursing research initiative grants

Background: In 1995, VA's Office of Research and Development launched the Nursing Research Initiative (NRI), to encourage nurses to apply for research funding and to increase the role of nurse investigators in the VA's research mission. This program provides novice nurse researchers the opportunity to further develop their research skills with the guidance of a mentor. Purpose: Since the NRI's inception, its impact on the research career trajectory of budding nurse researchers had never been fully explored. Methods: An electronic quality improvement survey was developed to collect information about the scope of work and research trajectory of VA nurse researchers undertaken since they received NRI funding. Findings: NRI awardees demonstrated research productivity in several areas including research funding, peer-reviewed publications; participation on journal editorial boards and grant review committees; and mentorship. The majority of past NRI grant recipients (78%) have maintained employment within the VA system and benefit from the expertise, mentoring, and support of other nurse researchers. NRI grant recipients confirm the value of the VA NRI mentored grant funding mechanism and its association with a productive research trajectory with survey respondents demonstrating an average return on investment of $7.7 million in research funding per person. Conclusion: The experiences derived from the NRI accelerated the professional growth and research productivity of this group and it guided future opportunities to design, implement, and test nurse-led interventions.