For Wayne Nieh, ’24, nursing research has always been about more than collecting data or studying scientific literature. It is about asking questions, seeking knowledge and discovering how that knowledge can ultimately improve the lives of others.
It is also a way to honor the person who first taught him the value of learning.
As a young boy, Nieh often heard his grandfather share words of wisdom that have remained with him throughout his educational journey: “Knowledge is the eye that guides a scholar’s path.”
Those words helped inspire a path that has taken Nieh from earning his nursing degree in 2024 to pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Along the way, research has become an important part of how he sees nursing — not simply as a profession focused on caring for patients, but as one that requires curiosity, critical thinking and a lifelong commitment to advancing knowledge.
“Research gave me the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of nursing while also honoring the memory of my beloved grandfather and expressing my gratitude for his guidance, wisdom and teaching,” Nieh said.
As an undergraduate student, Nieh immersed himself in research experiences that explored different aspects of health and patient care. His undergraduate honors thesis focused on an especially important question in healthcare: how nursing students perceive family presence during resuscitation.
With support from Kent State’s Honors College, McNair Scholars Program and the Office of Student Research, Nieh worked with faculty mentor Amy Petrinec, Ph.D., RN, to design and conduct the study as part of his Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE). The research explored the attitudes of nursing students toward allowing family members to be present during resuscitation — an approach that has been recommended by numerous professional nursing organizations but has received less attention from researchers studying the perspectives of future nurses.
The experience gave Nieh a firsthand look at the research process, from applying for grants and navigating Institutional Review Board requirements to designing surveys, recruiting participants and analyzing questions that could help inform the future of nursing practice. Thanks to numerous mentors, he was challenged to think beyond the classroom and approach nursing as both a science and a continually evolving field of discovery. This guidance helped shape his understanding of what nursing education — and a career in nursing — could be.
“Through my work with Dr. Petrinec, I learned that nursing education is not merely about acquiring facts or accumulating knowledge,” Nieh said. “It is about training the mind to think critically, fostering creativity in problem-solving and developing the ability to lead with compassion and humility.”
Research strengthened Nieh’s communication, analytical, critical thinking, teamwork, time management and leadership skills. Perhaps more importantly, it helped him understand the essential role research plays in evidence-based nursing practice and patient safety.
His experiences also opened his eyes to the opportunities available through doctoral-level nursing education.
“Research at Kent State exposed me to the role and opportunities available through doctoral nursing education and training,” Nieh said. “I came to understand that doctoral education is essential to advancing the science of nursing through research, deeper nursing knowledge and translating evidence into clinical practice.”
Today, as he continues his studies, Nieh carries with him the lessons of his undergraduate research experiences, the guidance of his faculty mentors and the words of his grandfather. Together, they have helped shape not only his academic journey, but also the kind of nurse, educator and leader he hopes to become.
Wayne Neih was the recipient of numerous scholarships to make his Kent State journey possible including: College of Nursing Scholarship, Geauga Campus/KSU Geauga Scholarship Club, Hannah Baldwin-May Endowed Nursing Scholarship, Honors College Scholarship, Honors College Thesis Fund Scholarship, Kent State Geauga General Endowed Scholarship Fund, Kent State University Geauga and Regional Academic Center Advisory Board Scholarship and the Molly Sergi Endowed Scholarship in History.
