Our Nurse of the Week is Adaya Troyer, a senior nursing student and undergraduate researcher at the University of Tennessee (UT) Knoxville who is using her own experience to help young children with asthma understand and manage their condition. Troyer was only two years old when she was diagnosed with asthma and now she hopes to help others thrive with the condition from a young age.
Troyer first began to understand her asthma as an elementary school student when she was given an educational video game that taught her what triggers an attack and how to react. Through her research, Troyer has discovered that educational materials about asthma for young children are nonexistent, especially for those too young to read. However, this is the age group most in need of these materials as kids younger than five are the most at risk of hospitalization.
Hoping to fill that void, Troyer’s goal is to create an iPad app. She tells TNToday.UTK.edu, “I believe that educating children early will help them understand and manage their illnesses by the time they are in school, which will decrease hospitalizations as well as social stigma placed on children by peers in their schools.” She has presented her research at the National Council on Undergraduate Research conference in Memphis, Legislative Day in Nashville, and the Southern Nursing Research Society conference in Dallas. Troyer will also present at an international nursing research conference in Ireland this July.
Upon graduation, Troyer plans to continue her work on this research project. Creating her asthma learning tool for kids will allow her to broaden the scope of her work. She will also be a participant in the Tennessee Fellowship for Graduate Excellence program, and will begin pursuing a nurse practitioner license and PhD this summer.
Troyer’s research is being highlighted by UT as part of their eighth-annual Research Week, highlighting the everyday impacts of faculty and student research. Over 1,400 UT undergraduate students are involved in research to enhance their learning process and career preparation.
To learn more about Adaya Troyer and other undergraduate nurse researchers like her, visit here.
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