Kody Johnston

Can you give a short description of your nursing career? 

Nursing was a calling for me, and I knew early on in my career that I wanted to merge the sciences of technology and nursing to improve clinical and patient outcomes. This led me to the nurse informaticist profession, which via the informatics education, gave me the opportunity to investigate research as it pertains to clinical applications in healthcare. I have since started forming healthcare research on my own that applies to the latter. Currently, I am passionate about pioneering the advent of “Citizen Development,” parallel to other clinical technologies and proving its success with quality research and implementation. 

How did you get involved in nursing research? 

My entry point to nursing research came in my initial studies as a nurse informaticist. It started to materialize further after working for a colleague who possessed a Ph.D. in Population Health with an emphasis on research development. Together we pioneered the hybridization of evidenced models tailored to specific needs that arose in our enterprise. It was an everyday event to dive into the research to help validate our quality improvement and implementation science. Starting our work on founded and tested evidence-based research was a priority.

What makes you passionate about research? 

Two words- Innovation and Transformation. Within research not only lies multiple aspects of qualitative and quantitative research but at its core, the ability to find ways to innovate and transform existing entities. Many of us have heard in our enterprise circles, “if we are not innovating, then we are dying.” This is true for me. Research is a mode to help achieve that aim and stay on the cunning edge of what is occurring in our job sector.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about joining clinical trials or research work? 

Find a mentor who has done it before and participate in clinical trials! Being part of a trial as a recipient can easily open your eyes to the process that occurs with research and help bridge any gaps from the vantage point of the end-user.

Are there any resources about research you want to share? 

One resource I love to watch is “The Quantified Scientist” on Youtube. Regarding quantitative testing on wearable technology in healthcare, this is one of the best channels I consistently go to for information. If you like to geek out on tech and science. This is for you!