I have learned an immense amount of knowledge throughout completing this semester long research project and can apply this new knowledge to my future nursing career. I have learned about the history of nursing and its evolution. Learning about Florence Nightingale’s impact on nursing and how just a few changes in patient care can create a ripple effect in the future of quality nursing made me realize how important evidence-based research really is. I explored several theoretical frameworks that have been formed to better care for future patients, and how to form proper research questions that can be further analyzed and studied. Once my group and I created a research question regarding epidural use being associated with postpartum depression rates, we went on to learn how researchers collect data. I was able to figure out how to find reliable and relevant articles to answer our research questions. Through the library resources and class material it was easy to figure out which articles my group, and I were going to choose. After reading through the articles, pulling relevant data, peer reviewing each other’s writing, my group and I finished our research paper. I learned that epidural use does not have a direct affect on postpartum depression rates and this theory of pain relief and epidural use would have to be studied further to fully answer this research question. Through class activities and assignments, I have also learned a lot about ethical principles, research ethics, and the role of the nurse regarding evidence-based practice. I am now aware that nurses must continue to research healthcare issues as they practice in their careers in order to provide the best type of nursing care for their patients. While keeping the ethical policies of the health care facility in mind, the role of a nurse should involve continuing to research the realm of healthcare. My biggest take away from this project is that nursing is not just a science, it is an art; and through evidence-based practice I will be closer to mastering this art.