So here we are, 2 days from defense. Thought I might write a short thread about defense preparation in this waiting period.

For the most part, since I read my written examination reports, I have been in reflective mode about where my work could go from here and how it connects to other research areas. My reports suggested those were the areas my examiners were most interested in.

I prepared my presentation slides early. I knew it would be difficult to get the 5 papers I wrote into 30 mins allowed and wanted to do many trial runs. Making sure you practice your presentation is soooooo important. You do not want to go overtime!

I asked to meet with each of my committee members starting with my advisor. This is useful because talking out your thoughts with others and some of the intersecting research areas solidifies things in your head. I talked through my presentation slides with my advisor.

They aren’t going to tell you what their questions might be but their written reports are good hints.

I also got one of my thesis papers back from a journal to revise and resubmit. It was a paper I wrote initially over a year ago so getting back into it from a writer perspective was useful.

To be honest, I spent more time reading things adjacent to my thesis than my thesis itself. Working on other projects. I spent time reflecting on how my work connected to other issues in nursing education because I think my questions will head in that direction.

All of the conversations and the reading of other things then stimulated the writing bug. I started writing stream of consciousness thoughts about knowledge translation, using my work in the classroom (which I had opportunity to trial in a workshop) and relationship to reading.

Oh because there were so many stats in my thesis I pulled open my R files and reviewed my decision making and all the SEM models I trialed but didn’t report. The extra models were mostly just playing and experimenting but I needed to refresh my memory.

And aside from my job, I’ve tried to keep busy doing things that stimulate reflection like painting my barn. Which requires analytical thinking not unlike research project to ensure efficiency and paint coverage.

And as I tweeted yesterday, watching Marvel movies. There is something brilliant about structuring a story that is connected to dozens of other stories and dropping “Easter Eggs” for future plot twists. Aren’t our programs of research like that too.

And jigsaw puzzles which are an exercise in sorting pieces of “data” and finding the best route to the a priori solution.

At this stage you can’t make your thesis better. Your going to magically become smarter. You already have the answers to every question you could get asked about it within you. The only thing left to do is find ways to make those connections come to the surface. (End)