College of Nursing PhD Student Receives Baptist Health Fellowship
Pictured from left to right: Dean Heath, Andrew Bugajski, Dorothy Brockopp, and Terry Lennie.
College of Nursing PhD student Andrew Bugajski received the Fellowship in Nursing Research from Baptist Health to advance its effort in creating a team of young PhD students interested in conducting research.
Bugajski, a 23 year-old from Cincinnati, received his BSN from the UK College of Nursing in December of 2014 and currently works in the Medicine West ICU at UK while working toward his PhD in nursing.
“Getting a PhD allows me to impact whole populations instead of one to two patients at time,” said Bugajski. “Having the ability to help more people in more ways is truly gratifying.”
Baptist Health, recognized for its excellence in heart care, cancer care and the hospital’s Clinical Research Center, was established in 1954 and serves as a major medical research and education center as well as a 383-bed tertiary care facility. Bugajski’s fellowship is a testament to Baptist Health’s ongoing commitment to research and improving the nursing practice.
“I can’t describe how much this fellowship means to me,” said Bugajski. “It is truly an amazing opportunity and experience—I am working with hands on, applicable and practical research within the hospital and I get to help healthcare professionals develop their ideas, implement a study or research project and reap the benefits.”
Bugajski plans to continue his research on self-management in populations with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and develop a program based upon utilizing breathing techniques and anxiety reducing techniques to prevent readmissions. He has also completed research on “rounding” – how nurses round and how it helps with patient outcomes in terms of falling and other measurements. Upon graduation, Bugajski hopes to pursue a faculty position where he can continue his research and begin teaching—one of his true life ambitions.
“We are grateful for Baptist Health and their funding that encourages research at a much higher level,” said Dr. Janie Heath, dean and Warwick Professor of Nursing. “I have no doubt that Drew will use this as an opportunity to create new knowledge that will advance the nursing profession.”
