Final Words: Jasmine Graw, Nursing Science
Your name, program, dissertation title.
Name: Jasmine Ruth Graw
Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science
Dissertation Title: Care Episode Experiences of Parents of Children with Asthma
Please tell me about yourself, why did you pick UT Health San Antonio, and your program.
I was born and raised in San Antonio, TX. I received my Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from the UT Health San Antonio in 2009. I applied to UT Health San Antonio for my graduate education because they had the BSN to Ph.D track. I also saw that the program I was interested in was available and I had heard good things about the program and faculty. I knew that I wanted to work with children and improve care, so what better way to provide care than to be a pediatric nurse practitioner on her way to get a Ph.D. In May 2012, I received my Master of Science Degree in Nursing with a focus on being a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from the UT Health San Antonio.
What has been the highlight of graduate school so far? Have you won any awards or have there been any achievements you’ve been proud of?
I have enjoyed learning statistics and how to use them for nursing research, but I also enjoyed how even though I was strong in quantitative methods, my question led me to explore qualitative methods and my dissertation was fully qualitative. I was a great learning experience for me. In 2011, I became a member of the Honor Society of Nursing with Sigma Theta Tau International Delta Alpha Chapter. In 2015, I received the University Student Leadership Award through UT Health San Antonio. I have also done several poster and podium presentations during my time as a student.
Please provide a few sentences summarizing your dissertation. What was the experience like for you?
My dissertation was on the experiences of parents when providing care for their children with asthma in a South Texas healthcare system from a systems perspective. I discussed various factors that influenced one visit using the socioecological model and how all systems must work together to provide optimum care for the child with asthma to improve health outcomes. My experience was one of perseverance. There were many obstacles along the way due to the complexity of my topic, but I continued to move forward to complete my dissertation.
Why are you passionate about your research topic? How did you first become interested in it?
I have always believed that if we can focus on preventative care, we can decrease chronic illness cases at least when it comes to acute exacerbations. During my clinical rotations, I noticed that asthma care in the pediatric patient could be very fragmented which led me to ask what we could do better. I started with one factor that I saw affected the health care visit and it grew into multiple factors that needed to work together for children with asthma to receive optimal asthma care.
What’s next?
My goal is to practice, teach, and do research. I would like to be able to not only teach students but incorporate the research that I learn about and conduct into my practice and my teaching.
Any advice for your fellow graduate students?
My advice is to continue to push forward. Yes, sometimes you will feel like it is too much or like you want to give up, but trust me when I say to move forward because it is worth it.
