Paper
Wednesday, 19 July 2006
Nursing Research Residency: Generating Nursing Research Studies
Christine M. Olney, MS, RN, College of Nursing, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
The Nurse Research Residency offers unique research application experiences that complement traditional doctoral education expectations. The ultimate goal for the Nurse Researcher Resident (NRR) is to generate and manage nursing research studies in the clinical setting. The NRR works with the nursing administration to establish research as a priority and collaborates in strategies to inculcate evidence-based practice into clinical expectations. For an inaugural NRR, the initial strategy was implementation of journal clubs among the nursing staff. A first success was generated when nursing practice was challenged by a staff nurse’s journal article presentation. A protocol change was suggested as a result of a clear and conscientious review of the data. Extending the practice change to the physician groups resulted in an initial resistance. However, with measured intervention on the part of the NRR, an eventual compromise was reached to collaborate with nursing to determine if the practice change would be in the best interest of the specific patient population. A second strategy for generating nursing research studies relies heavily on serendipity. Through regular presentations and interactions with the administration, nursing and allied health workers, the NRR became known as a "measurement guru". A nurse director, frustrated with the lack of coordination and progress on a project attempting to measure the quality, satisfaction and efficiency of electronic health records recalled a recent presentation given by the NNR. She asked the NNR to design a study, develop and administer an instrument, and assist in the project management. The collaborative effort, including hospital nurses and administration, College of Nursing professionals, and technology experts were well managed under the direction of the NRR. These two strategies, at the disposal of the nursing research resident, provide a potential comprehensive data source for qualified studies as well as an effective foundation for instituting evidence-based nursing practice.
See more of Nursing Research Residency: An Academic-Practice Partnership
See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)