Developing University and Hospital System Partnerships to Promote Use of Evidence-Based Practice among Baccalaureate Nursing Students

This paper describes an academic and clinical agency partnership to enhance the delivery of an undergraduate evidence based practice nursing course.  The agency partner research director and faculty member from the university partner co-taught the course which allowed students to become engaged in a specific unit research project, for which the agency partner needed additional data collection support.   Students enrolled in the course served as data collectors for a specific unit research project that was underway at the clinical agency. By incorporating these service learning activities, students gained hands on experience with clinical research activities. Additionally, student course assignments and projects were specifically designed to incorporate an evidenced based practice recommendation for the clinical unit on which they were placed for their initial medical surgical rotation (4 separate agencies).  This allowed to students to examine evidence and incorporate these new skills to “give back” to the units and help to promote use of evidence based practice.