GNSA Bulletin: August 2026

This Month’s Highlight: Starting the Semester with Purpose

As another academic year begins, members of the GNSA find themselves at many different points in their graduate education. Some are beginning a master's, DNP, or PhD program for the first time. Others are returning to coursework, preparing for clinical or scholarly projects, advancing dissertation research, or nearing graduation. Some are returning after taking time away because life required their attention for a season. No matter where you are on your graduate journey, a new semester offers the opportunity to pause, reflect, and begin again with renewed purpose.

Having recently completed my PhD, I've spent time reflecting on what I wish I had known before each new academic year. I entered graduate school expecting to gain knowledge and earn a degree. What I did not anticipate was how much the journey would shape the way I think, ask questions, collaborate with others, and grow both personally and professionally. Graduate education is about more than earning another degree. It is also about developing your professional identity and sense of belonging within nursing (McClunie-Trust et al., 2024).

One lesson became clear along the way: graduate education is not simply about reaching the finish line. It is about becoming.

Whether you are pursuing a master's degree, a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), or a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), your path is preparing you to advance nursing in meaningful ways. Some of you will lead clinical innovation and implement evidence-based practice. Others will educate the next generation of nurses, influence health policy, improve healthcare systems, conduct research, or lead organizations. While our destinations may differ, our shared purpose is improving the health and well-being of the individuals, families, and communities we serve.

As you prepare for the semester ahead, I encourage you to begin by reconnecting with your "why." Before your calendar fills with classes, meetings, clinical hours, writing deadlines, and responsibilities at work and home, take a moment to remember what inspired you to pursue graduate education. That purpose will sustain you long after the excitement of a new semester gives way to its inevitable challenges.

I also encourage you to think about building habits rather than relying on motivation. Graduate school is often less about extraordinary bursts of productivity and more about consistent progress. Reading one article, writing one page, scheduling a meeting with a mentor, or dedicating uninterrupted time each week to your scholarship may seem like small steps, but over time they become conference presentations, quality improvement initiatives, scholarly projects, dissertations, publications, and lasting contributions to nursing.

Research supports the importance of these intentional practices. Studies have found that structured writing routines, peer accountability, mentoring, and participation in scholarly communities enhance graduate student confidence, productivity, and persistence (Wong et al., 2025). These findings remind us that success is rarely achieved in isolation; it is strengthened through meaningful relationships and supportive academic communities.

This is one of the many strengths of GNSA.

Our community connects graduate nursing students from across the country who bring diverse experiences, perspectives, and career goals. Take advantage of those opportunities. Attend webinars, participate in discussions, introduce yourself to someone new, seek guidance from mentors, and celebrate the accomplishments of your peers. The relationships you build during graduate school often become some of the most meaningful professional connections of your career. Evidence suggests that peer mentoring enhances graduate students' academic, social, psychological, and career development, underscoring the value of building meaningful connections with classmates and colleagues throughout graduate education (Lorenzetti et al., 2019). Mentorship has been shown to support scholarly development, professional identity formation, research productivity, and successful progression through doctoral nursing education (Watson et al., 2025).

Just as importantly, remember to extend yourself the same compassion you so readily offer your patients, students, colleagues, and families. Graduate education is designed to challenge you. There will likely be assignments that require multiple revisions, projects that do not unfold as expected, and moments when you question your progress. Those experiences are not signs that you do not belong. They are part of the learning process that helps all of us grow into thoughtful clinicians, leaders, educators, and scholars.

As nurses, we understand that meaningful change rarely happens overnight. It occurs through consistent effort, reflection, collaboration, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Graduate education follows that same principle. Each class completed, each paper revised, each clinical experience, each scholarly conversation, and each new question asked contributes to the professional you are becoming.

As we begin the Fall 2026 semester together, I encourage you to celebrate progress rather than perfection. Stay curious. Ask thoughtful questions. Seek opportunities to learn from one another. Be willing to support a classmate who may need encouragement, and don't hesitate to ask for help when you need it yourself.

Whether this semester marks your first day of graduate school, the beginning of your DNP project, the continuation of your dissertation, or the final steps toward graduation, know that you are part of a community committed to advancing nursing and improving health.

I wish each of you a successful, fulfilling, and inspiring academic year. I look forward to celebrating the many accomplishments our GNSA community will achieve together. Welcome back, and welcome to those who are just beginning the journey. 

References

Lorenzetti, D. L., Shipton, L., Nowell, L., Jacobsen, M., Lorenzetti, L., Clancy, T., & Paolucci, E. O. (2019). A systematic review of graduate student peer mentorship in academia. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 27(5), 549-576.

McClunie-Trust, P., Jarden, R., Marriott, P., Winnington, R., Dewar, J., Shannon, K., ... & Macdiarmid, R. (2024). Graduate entry nursing students' development of professional nursing self: A scoping review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 151, 104670.

Watson, A. L., Bond, C., Aveyard, H., Smith, G. D., & Jackson, D. (2026). How does mentorship influence doctoral nursing education? An integrative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 82(5), 4097-4110.

Wong, W. Y. A., Caughers, G., Saifullah, A. D., Galeotti, M., Kemp, B. J., Cooper, C., ... & Wilson, C. B. (2025). Key considerations when developing academic writing support for nursing and midwifery doctoral students: A scoping review. Nurse Education Today, 144, 106399.

Gemma O’Donnell, PhD, MSN, RN, CCM
PhD Graduate
Arizona State University
GNSA Leadership Council Chair