Paper
Saturday, November 3, 2007
30
Education and Practice: Collaborating to Promote Evidence-Based Practice
Sandra D. Burke, PhD, RN, Mennonite College of Nursing, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| Learning Objective #1: discuss the mutual benefits of using academic faculty to promote evidence based practice in an acute care clinical facility. |
| Learning Objective #2: describe an effective strategy for engaging bedside nurses in EBP activities. |
Evidence based practice (EBP) is becoming an institutional imperative on both ends of the academic and practice continuum. Given the shortage of nursing faculty, clinical facilities seeking ANCC Magnet Recognition status often struggle to find a nurse with experience in the research process. At the same time, clinical and academic faculties are searching for ways to integrate EBP into an already full curriculum. Recognizing the potential mutual benefits of sharing a nurse researcher, one Midwestern university’s college of nursing partnered with a local, medium-sized community hospital to resolve both issues. This innovative approach involved establishing an endowment to fund one faculty position at the college of nursing. The faculty position would then be shared to reach mutual EBP goals. At the clinical facility, this faculty member would focus on fostering a culture of inquiry, and promoting the understanding and use of evidence based practice among bedside nurses. Within the college of nursing, this same individual would serve as an EBP resource for faculty and students, assisting both to incorporate EBP into the undergraduate and graduate curricula. During the initial phase of this collaboration, the nurse researcher would devote a majority of time to the hospital. Over a period of two to three years, the time devoted to the hospital would decline as EBP became incorporated into the organizational culture. At the same time, commitment to the college of nursing would increase accordingly. Eighteen months into the process, both organizations are realizing their anticipated benefits.