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B.S.N.
Second Career
RN Studies
Master's and Post-master's
Programs
Ph.D. Program
Postdoctoral Fellowships
International Programming
Faculty Profile
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Academic Programs
Ph.D. Program
Women's Health
Women's health pertains to the physical, psychological and social well-being
of women. This area of study takes into account (1) the diversity and heterogeneity
of women; (2) the variety of concerns that affect their well-being; and (3)
a feminist perspective that acknowledges the socio-political context which,
in many ways, determines the health of women. For example, the feminization
of poverty, the disproportionate demand on women as caretakers, higher levels
of violence against women, imputation of pathology to physiologic function,
and gender-bias in treatment decisions clearly influence health outcomes.
A feminist perspective affirms that women's bodies, and their health needs,
are different from those of men. Fertility control, menstruation, and menopause
concerns affect women more directly. The power shift that occurs when women's
health care needs are medicalized and pathologized extracts the greatest
toll from women.
The women's health concentration is directed toward expanding the capability
of nurse-scientists for knowledge building that will maximize the health
of women and transform the values and structures of the health care system.
The long-range consequence of such transformation is to better health care
across gender, ethnic, class, and other barriers that unjustly influence
the quality of care. Students in this concentration will generate sound frameworks
to support testing nursing theory that will lead to evidence-based nursing
practice.
Specifically, the objectives of this concentration are to:
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Critically analyze the theoretical and empitical evidence relevant to
women's health.
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Evaluate the status of women's health and the health care available
to women comparing quality across race, class, age, sexual orientation,
or geographic region.
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Examine nursing theory, empiricism, and critical theory as
frameworks for scientific inquiry about the health of women.
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Develop new theoretical constructs that bridge
identified gaps between modern feminism,
emancipatory theory, and traditional science in the service
of improving the health of diverse populations.
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Use contemporary
technology,
such as
the Internet and
other applications,
to search
for relevant resources
and to
communicate with international
scholars.
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Demonstrate
competence in
the measurement
and accurate
representation of
parameters and
events, with
attention to reflecting
the meaning
and perspectives
of study
participants.
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Develop
research designs,
data collection
methods, and
analysis procedures
that actively
involve study
participants and
incorporate multidisciplinary
viewpoints.
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Report
research findings
in a
scientifically sound
manner that
makes the
knowledge produced
publicly accessible
and available
to
form
the foundation
for
future
research.
For more information on the research of faculty members see the Homepage
for the following individuals: Carol Boyd, Barbara
Guthrie, Nancy Reame, Carolyn
Sampselle, SeonAe Yeo, Mei-yu
Yu. |