Educating for Success in Evidence-Based Practice

Drury, Lin J.

Wednesday, 1 August 2012: 1:50 PM

Lin J. Drury, PhD
Sharon Stahl Wexler, PhD
Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University, New York, NY

Learning Objective 1: List key elements to integrate EBP into an undergraduate curriculum.

Learning Objective 2: Discuss strategies to guide students to translate evidence into clinical practice.

The profession of nursing endorses EBP as a means to ensure high quality care, yet many practicing nurses do not have the necessary tools. Faculty must prepare students to make evidence-based decisions in clinical practice. Our previous course had a traditional research focus. EBP was integrated in other courses. Students did not develop workable EBP skills. Student feedback indicated a lack of understanding of the relationship of research to practice, little confidence in appraising the literature and applying it to the clinical setting. This project presents the integration of EBP throughout an accelerated BSN curriculum.

Evidence based practice is introduced as a foundation of nursing care. In the first semester, students focus on a “never event”, develop a clinical question, review and appraise the literature. Students develop an abstract and present a poster, at an event sponsored by clinical partners. In the next semester, students partner with clinical staff to implement and evaluate their EBP projects. In the final semester, students bring the project into the public health setting. Students present projects at conferences and publish. Students cite the connection of research to practice. Clinical partners highlight the student contributions to EBP, and possessing tools that are desirable.

Brown, C.E., Kim, S.C., Stichler, J.F., & Fields, W. (2010). Predictors of knowledge,

attitudes, use and future use of evidence-based practice among baccalaureate

nursing students at two universities. Nurse Education Today, 30, 521-527.

Cadmus, E., Van Wyen, E.A., Chamberlain, B., & Steingall, P. (2008). Nurses’ skill

level and access to evidence-based practice. The Journal of Nursing Administration,

38(11), 494-503.

Levin, R.F., & Feldman, H.R. (Eds.). 2006. Teaching evidence-based practice in nursing. New York: Springer.

Moch, S.D., Cronje, R.J., Branson, J. (2010). Part I: Undergraduate nursing evidence-

based practice education: Envisioning the role of students. Journal of Professional

Nursing, 26, 5-13.

See more of: Educational Strategies: Creative Innovations
See more of: Evidence-Based Practice Sessions: Oral Paper & Posters