Jesse Moes

A desire to teach nursing science at the college level is what inspired Jesse Moes to pursue a PhD in the U-M School of Nursing Doctoral program. During his senior year of undergraduate studies Jesse began tutoring students in a physiology class; by the end of the term he had sixteen students and realized how much he enjoyed physiology and seeing students develop an understanding and enthusiasm for the subject.

As a PhD student, Jesse appreciates the opportunities he has to take his knowledge to a higher level through the mentorship of his professors in developing scientific questions and conducting research. “It has totally changed my approach to thinking, and that’s what graduate school should be all about,” he says.

Jesse is conducting bench science research and recalls that, until an undergraduate advisor suggested he consider a nursing degree, he had not thought of nursing as a basic science. “What I’ve really gained from being at U-M is learning how to do quality research – designing good studies that produce good results. It’s good science.”

“You need to be prepared to be challenged, and to let go of your previous ways of thinking. In fact, at this level, there’s a totally different mindset and culture in many ways. Earning a PhD is very much about exploring the philosophical side of nursing and the nursing sciences.

While working toward his degree, Jesse has determined that having a PhD will open the door to the best of all worlds: having patient contact and working toward cures, plus being part of academia, and the research community.

“To know that the research and work you’ve done could potentially help another scientist, which could in turn help another human being, is very exciting.”