Nursing Research Mentorship Program: A Strategy to “Magnet®ize” Nurses and Impact Patient Care

INTRODUCTION: The development of the nursing science is the foundation for the growth of the nursing discipline and profession (Byrne & Keefe 2002). Hence, innovation and creativity are vital for the generation of new nursing knowledge, which is the engine that allows the profession to move forward and to respond to the global advancements in healthcare. Historically, the product of knowledge creation belongs to the academic environments. The development of science is more concentrated in institutes of higher education. However in practice professions, such as nursing, professionals merge knowing with their doing and therefore, programs of scientific inquiry in nursing are established in both university and clinical settings. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC), Riyadh, a Magnet® designated organization, recognized the value of conducting high-quality research and therefore investments were and are continuously being made to create a nursing research structure and further processes that enhances research quality, which can be applied at the bedside and positively impact patient care.

METHODOLOGY: To build nursing research competence among the nursing community, literature was looked upon and barriers to research perceived by nurses were identified as a result of a focused research study. Consequently, the Nursing Research Division was established in the clinical setting. This structure is a support service to every bedside nurse that seeks to develop a nursing research study and the Nursing Research Mentorship Program is its main core and process. Professional research mentoring has been recognized as a vital strategy to transfer knowledge from the experienced researchers to the novice nurses wishing to pursue a research project. Mentoring has been an effective strategy in many disciplines to develop expertise and leadership within the profession and may be presented through different models. In this session, we will present the model adopted by the Nursing Research Division and how it is applied to ensure the success of every nursing research project.

OUTCOMES: Since the implementation of the Nursing Research Division and the Nursing Research Mentorship Program the number of nursing research studies approved by the Research Advisory Council (RAC, KFSH&RC Internal Review Board) increased from an average of 7 studies to 34 studies. Nursing Journal Clubs were initiated in 80 % of the units and sustained across 60% of the total initiated units, from which ideas for practice improvement and nursing research projects were a realistic outcome.

CONCLUSION: This session will bring the attendees through a three year journey of developing the Nursing Research Mentorship Program and will make available a strategy that is blooming positive outcomes in nurses’ engagement in the creation of new nursing knowledge and its translation into the bedside.