Zelma Perez-Sandy, BS, CCRN, Long Term Home Health Care Program, Visting Nurse Service of New York, Jackson Heights, NY, USA and Ifeyinwa Ifemesia, RN, BSN, Long Term Home Health Program, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, Jackson Heights, NY, USA.
This final presentation will share the experience of nurses participating in the ARCC study from their perspective. In the beginning we did not know what to expect from participation in an evidence-based practice (EBP) study. This was an entirely new experience for us and we had some fears; for example, learning a whole new body of knowledge -- the content of EBP. One of us, much younger and less experienced as a nurse was not only new to participating in a study, but was also new to the VNSNY, and did not know if she could hold her own within a group of experienced visiting nurses. The other is older and has over 20 years nursing experience with 7 of those at the VNSNY, but was somewhat intimidated by being in a group with the Patient Service Managers (PSMs). Once initial data collection was finished and we began learning about EBP, we realized how exciting it was to learn something new that could be applied to our nursing practice. In addition, the instructors brought complex material to a level we could all understand, regardless of our educational preparation, and this enhanced our self-esteem. During the mentoring sessions to develop an EBP project, we worked together as a collaborative group with no differentiation between managers and staff nurses. We became one. We learned from each other. Every nurse had something to contribute to the development of our EBP project, and no one was afraid to voice his or her opinions, positive or negative. The process led to a trusting relationship among the nurses participating in the study and between the nurses and the EBP mentor. Finally, we will discuss how participating in this study and learning how to use an evidence-based approach to our daily nursing practice enhanced our patient care.