DUNMORE, Pa. — Natalie Faybisovich, a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a nursing degree at the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing at Penn State Scranton, recently shared her journey as a co-author of a manuscript focusing on home health care. Her involvement in this research endeavor has been a transformative experience, she said.

The manuscript, titled, "Management of the decompensating patient receiving home health," was published in the journal Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! and was worked on in collaboration with other Penn State alumni, including Mike Evans, assistant dean of undergraduan nursing education at the Commonwealth Campuses and teaching professor of nursing, and also Lucy Adams, Logan DeSanto, Kalei Kowalchik, Megan Lucey, Marisa Milton and Charles Robinson.

“I work with a great group of alumni, all in different places in their careers and education,” Faybisovich said. “Doors I couldn’t have imagined this time a year ago, have opened up for me since being a part of this experience. It’s exciting!”

The manuscript delves into identifying "red flags" of a decompensating home health patient and outlines strategies for managing their care during emergent situations without immediate access to in-patient resources. Faybisovich shed light on the manuscript’s content, emphasizing the critical aspects of home health care.

Regarding the collaboration process, Faybisovich highlighted the exchange of ideas and collective effort involved in producing high-quality research.

“My favorite part of working on the manuscript is the exchange of ideas brought to the table and the collective effort to produce high-quality research. I have learned so much in the process, and I owe that to the amazing co-authors on the team,” she said.

Faybisovich credited the resources provided by Penn State, particularly Evans and the faculty of the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, for enabling her to engage in meaningful research early in her academic journey.

Looking ahead, Faybisovich affirmed her commitment to continue writing manuscripts beyond graduation, fueled by her newfound research interest.

“I certainly plan to continue writing manuscripts after I graduate, as being a co-author on this team has solidified my research interest. I’m eager to continue contributing to the nursing field and providing evidence-based care,” she said.

While being a co-author of this manuscript has been a unique and rewarding experience for Faybisovich, she said, it is also another tool for her to add to her skill set and list of accomplishments.

In fact, last year, Faybisovich was recognized as a first time participant at the campus’ annual Undergraduate Research Fair and took home two University Libraries Excellence in Information Literacy Awards, which recognizes scholarly work based on a foundation of careful background research and literature review. Faybisovich’s award-winning research projects have also been presented at several local and regional research fairs, including the 2023 Translating Research to Innovations in Practice Symposium and Conference at the Penn Stater hotel and Conference Center.

Faybisovich commended Penn State Scranton and the College of Nursing for providing real-world opportunities to students.

“Penn State Scranton and the College of Nursing have shown its commitment to promoting innovation by allowing me to attend conferences and present my research findings on multiple occasions,” she said. “Penn State has also offered a platform for showcasing undergrad research by hosting research fairs where students from different programs share their works with others.”