Clinical Excellence: Incorporating the EHR into the Nursing Curriculum: Hitting the Ground Running

            The Institute of Medicine's Report (2003), Crossing the Quality Chasm, calls for the adequate preparation of the healthcare workforce.  As a key technological agent, Electronic Health Records (EHR) are changing the manner in which health care is delivered, as well as decreasing medical errors. As more health care settings are implementing EHRs, nursing students need to be able to interface with these systems. Preparing students for a practice that incorporates the EHR is challenging, due to: 1) limited clinical exposure to the EHR and 2) the number of differing EHRs found in clinical settings.  These challenges involve both students and faculty.  Healthcare education, in following the aviation industry, must simulate the complex technical clinical environment in an attempt to improve student clinical experience and performance. Students need to be able to adapt their workflow while using the EHR; whereas, instructors need to prepare the students for use of the EHR in a clinical setting.  The unique partnership between the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and the Eclipsys Corporation strives to improve student performance via lab simulation at JHUSON. This partnership allows the incorporation of the Electronic Healthcare Record throughout the curriculum, beginning in the first semester of study. While these partnerships are fairly common in the practice arena, they are atypical in the educational arena.  Our presentation will highlight: the educational, social and technical challenges facing nursing faculty when incorporating the EHR into a first semester nursing skills course.   Additionally, we will highlight the observed student outcomes from this curricular change, and further plans for integration. Ultimately, our goal is to provide students with necessary skills to function as a nurse and the technological tools to change practice in the future.