JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing RRC (SON-RRC)

The JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing (SON) requires that students complete a Practice-based Inquiry Project (PBIP) in educational and/or clinical settings in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation from the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program. The Getting Started page for student researchers describes important requirements for completing the appropriate forms prior to beginning the PBIP.

SON graduate students work under the supervision of their MSN 702: Promoting Health through Action Research course faculty in preparation for the AC 653-03 Graduate External Assessment II. Both the PBIP proposal developed in MSN 702 and the student’s completed IRB forms are independently reviewed by assessors in AC 653-03.

A SON graduate student’s data collection for a PBIP cannot begin without both:

• Completing an appropriate IRB approval process (exempt, expedited, or full-review).
  • If it can be anticipated that a PBIB will not easily fit an exemption category and review process, plan ahead because (a) an expedited review requires assignment of IRB members as reviewers and (b) a full-review must accommodate the schedule of IRB meetings
• And, receiving appropriate documentation of approval, which
  

• For determination of exemption, is the signature of the reviewer on the General Request for Exemption Determination form.
  
• And for an expedited or full-review, is a letter of approval from the Alverno IRB Chair that indicates how long data collection may proceed before re-approval would be necessary

The MSN student should also be aware of approvals they may need from the site where their PBIP will be conducted

• To conduct research in institutions other than Alverno, the student must adhere to IRB procedures required in these settings and seek appropriate approval prior to beginning their PBIP.