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Learning Objective 1: Identify structural, process and procedural components between a university nursing honors program and a magnet-designated pediatric hospital collaborative initiative promoting research and evidence-based education.
Learning Objective 2: Discuss outcomes and future collaborative initiatives to overcome the theory-research-practice gap.
Over a 10-year history nursing honors students, practicing nurses and nurse administrators developed a collaboration to facilitate nursing research and evidence-based practice. Progression of the collaboration between school of nursing honors program students and the children’s hospital nurses included establishing clinical mentorships and jointly developing practice-based honors projects. As the collaboration developed, there was a refinement of structure, processes and procedural materials and pathways to facilitate transition and workflow ease (e.g. creation of mentorship guidelines, coordination with hospital research office and training of staff in protection of human research participants). Practice based nurse educators contributed to school classes on evidence-based practice (EBP) and shared current EBP and quality improvement projects with students. Student research was co-authored by clinician mentors and presented to hospital nursing research meetings and conferences. Several studies were accepted for publication in peer-reviewed national journals. Barriers, issues, or concerns of collaboration were resolved through administrative and faculty discussion and problem-solving. Future initiatives include deliberative hiring of honor students as staff nurses, students presenting their research to hospital research committee and treatment teams, participating units expanded, and integration of student and staff initiated projects. Coordination by the research committee and director of research is promoting practice-based research collaboration. Staff nurse research mentors (some APNs some RNCs) contributed to Magnet accreditation and have begun planning larger studies, grant applications and nurse initiated (PI and co-PI) studies.