Studying and Strategizing to Improve the Health of African American Women
Expanding her education and her research, graduate student Tierra Smith examines hypertensive medication non-adherence to have a greater impact on this community of women
As Tierra Smith 鈥�21 MSN, CCRN-CSC expands her education, so too is she widening and deepening understanding of medication non-adherence that could aid countless hypertensive African American women in the future.
Smith calls Elkins Park, Pa. home and is a clinical nurse educator at nearby Abington Jefferson Health. In May, she graduated from the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing鈥檚 (FCN) master鈥檚 program in nursing education. While a student, she began working with Mary Ann Cantrell, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF FAAN, professor and director of the PhD Program, on an integrative review to identify factors associated with, and predictors of, non-adherence to medication regimens in hypertensive black women and to recommend strategies to enhance adherence among them.
鈥淎s an African American woman, I have always been interested in health disparities that disproportionately affect minorities,鈥� explains Smith, 鈥淭hese women are disproportionately affected by cardiac diseases such as hypertension yet are underrepresented in the literature.鈥�
She is completing her literature review utilizing a medication adherence framework to understand factors that affect hypertension medication adherence in African American women and hopes to be done by the end of August. Smith candidly admits she is surprised by how long the deliberate process takes, but making a difference for these patients is her goal.
鈥淚 am finding that affecting medication adherence in this population requires a multi-factorial approach that should consider social and discriminatory factors,鈥� she shares. Her goal is to submit a manuscript for publication and continue to research the topic.
Smith鈥檚 previous work and education have informed her latest choices. 鈥淎s a nurse educator, I teach nurses how to care for patients with cardiac disease and an array of other cardiac issues,鈥� she explains. 鈥淗owever, I鈥檓 learning that to really affect change, educators must start with prevention. This sparked my desire to return to 草榴社区 Nursing for the Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner post-master鈥檚 certificate program.鈥�
This budding researcher plans to then apply for FCN鈥檚 PhD program, saying, 鈥淚鈥檓 excited about what the future has in store.鈥�