Partners and Preceptors: Training Faculty and Students in an Evidence-Based Practice Model

AIMS:  Describe the academic-community partnership leading to the integration of an alcohol and drug screening and brief intervention model into the undergraduate nursing curriculum.  Identify the curriculum components used in the training of students, faculty, and clinical preceptors. 

METHODS:  A School of Nursing and a nonprofit educational research organization partnered to bring an evidence-based screening and brief intervention model for alcohol and drug use to the nursing curriculum.  First, the nonprofit organization conducted a training-of -trainers for nursing faculty and preceptors to ensure primary teaching faculty and clinical site instructors had the knowledge and skills to teach the students.  Then, Junior level nursing students participated in classroom training to learn and practice the evidence-based practice model for alcohol and drug screening and brief intervention.  The practice model was also integrated into the students’ clinical experience.  The project partnership team held a learning community meeting at the end of each of three terms, at which faculty and clinical site instructors discussed project implementation, barriers encountered, and ideas to address barriers.

RESULTS:  The academic-community partnership effectively established a skill-building program for nursing students.  The curriculum has been taught to 263 students and 30 faculty/preceptors to date increasing awareness about the prevalence of addiction in patients, helping to deconstruct stereotypes and stigma associated with addiction, facilitating linkages between fragmented healthcare sectors, and better equipping nursing students to identify, assess, and provide care to individuals who use substances.  Key points from the learning community meetings will be shared as recommendations for potential School of Nursing implementation.

IMPLICATIONS:  Education of nursing faculty, preceptors, and students in an evidence-based screening and brief intervention practice model increases quality of care.  By partnering with a community organization that specializes in addictions training, the School of Nursing delivered high-quality and up-to-date information to its faculty, preceptors, and students.