Paper
Friday, 21 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Fostering Evidence-Based Nursing: Education Initiatives
A Clinical Practicum to Translate EBP into Reality
Vera C. Brancato, RN, BC, EdD, MSN, Director of the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching, Kutztown University, Kutztown, PA, USA
Learning Objective #1: identify the steps necessary to develop a clinical practicum to teach EBP
Learning Objective #2: describe the necessary resources to assist in developing a successful practicum to apply EBP to nursing practice
The Institute of Medicine’s report Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality proposed that health care professionals be educated on the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) which emphasizes the need to question the underlying scientific basis for practice and the use of research-based procedures and protocols. Because RNs in practice report that their educational preparation in EBP was lacking, new educational initiatives must be developed to teach EBP and how to apply it to practice. The growing complexity of health care delivery and the corresponding demands to make evidence-based care a standard part of nursing practice have further influenced faculty to begin to prepare nursing students to find and use information and external evidence to provide the best possible care for their patients. The call to educating students to use EBP is, unfortunately, easier said than done. Substantial barriers often impede the process.

A university RN to BSN program launched a pilot clinical practicum to help in the translation of EBP theory taught in the classroom. How to overcome the potential barriers to the use of EBP, the curricular revisions necessary to teach EBP, the goals and objectives of the clinical practicum, the guidelines for successful implementation of the clinical practicum, and the evaluation of the pilot project will be described. The necessary resources such as tutorials and websites to access the information necessary to make the practicum a success will be outlined. This presentation will focus on how to combine active learning strategies to educate nursing students to learn to use an EBP approach when providing patient care.

See more of Fostering Evidence-Based Nursing: Education Initiatives
See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)