Undergrads present sun research from Down Under

Junior Cathy Elderkin (left), of Staatsburg, N.Y., and senior Brittany Robinson, of McLean, Va., present their research findings at a nursing research conference in Washington, D.C.

4:03 p.m., Dec. 15, 2006--January may be a month known for blizzards and snow, but for two UD nursing students it's a month of warm memories. This time last year Brittany Robinson and Cathy Elderkin were part of a study abroad semester in sunny Australia where they got academic credit for walking along the beach in New South Wales to gather data on sun safety.

“I know, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it,” Amy Nagorski Johnson, associate professor of nursing, said of her annual course. Each year, Johnson takes a group of 30-35 nursing students to examine and compare the health care system of Australia to the U.S., as well as investigate health problems that are different in the Australian population.

“Because the ozone layer is in bad shape in Australia, they lead the world in skin cancers,” Johnson explained. “Although the Australian government has a sun safety program in place from birth to high school graduation, which seems to be reducing the incidence, young people are found on the beaches with little or no precautions in place. One of my goals is to make my nurses aware of the problem and aware of their own need to protect themselves on this experience. It works-and they lose points if they get sunburned.”

Elderkin and Robinson worked with Johnson over the summer to analyze the data and develop a research report. The three were invited to present their findings at the prestigious National Congress on the State of Science in Nursing Research held in Washington, D.C., in October. Johnson also presented a paper on her work on early skin-to-skin holding of premature infants, which was funded by the University of Delaware Research Foundation (UDRF).

“Brittany and Cathy were not only poised and knowledgeable, they presented with such professionalism that several deans of nursing schools across the U.S spoke to them about funding their doctoral education,” Johnson said.

Elderkin and Robinson said they enjoyed collecting the data and found the opportunity to present at the national conference “amazing.”

Walking up to strangers on Australia's Bondi Beach was “a unique experience,” Elderkin said. “It's a clothing optional beach so the experience was out of the ordinary to say the least, ” she added.

“To collect data we interviewed 140 people using a 10 question survey. The Australians were more than willing to help us with our research, so collecting information was easy,” Robinson said.

“Once we established that the individuals fit our research criteria, we asked them whether they had a family history of skin cancer, if they were regularly screened for skin cancer, how many hours per day they spent in the sun on average and whether they had ever had a blistering sunburn. Additionally, we asked what types of sun protection they used and made our own observations of the protective practices in which they were currently engaged,” Elderkin said.

“We found that although Australians have a very high knowledge of how to prevent the development of skin cancer, their actions do not reflect this knowledge,” Robinson said. “Australians protected themselves using SPF 15 or greater, hats, UV protective sunglasses and clothing or a combination. We also found that although a large portion of our sample had a family history of skin cancer, they were still out on the beach using inadequate UV protective measures.”

Talking about the experience presenting at the national conference, Elderkin said, “It was an intimidating process preparing the presentation and practicing the speech. But, once we had our places behind the podium it was great not only to present the research but to readily answer all of the questions with which we were presented.”

“We were surrounded by nursing researchers from all over the United States who are changing health policy and making health care better for missions of people. It was an honor to be part of it,” Robinson added.

“Others seemed impressed that we were undergraduate nursing students presenting research at a major national conference. Thanks to several recruiters from major universities who stopped to speak with us about enrolling in graduate programs, I've now decided to pursue my master's and doctorate after graduating from UD,” Elderkin said.

“There are no words to express how incredibly grateful we both are to Dr. Amy Johnson for granting us this opportunity to work with her and move forth to present the research. She was there to support us through the entire process. She has made my time at UD extraordinary-more than I could have asked for,” Elderkin said.

Elderkin added that she will probably pursue a career in labor and delivery or neonatal intensive care nursing.

Robinson also is applying to doctoral programs and is interested in health promotion and disease prevention, possibly focusing on sun safety practices in the U.S.

“Health care has always been an interest of mine. I enjoy making an impact on the lives of patients and families every day. It is an incredibly rewarding career and I look forward to seeing where it takes me in the future,” she said.

Article by Beth Thomas

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