Methods: During the 2015-16 academic year, a thorough assessment of the integration of evidence-based practice throughout the undergraduate curriculum was conducted. The assessment included faculty interviews and student surveys. The interviews included what courses in the undergraduate program are using EBP, and what SON resources and capacities are available for EBP integration. The assessment showed several gaps and opportunities for improvement. One issue with the current curriculum is an inability to identify where evidence-based practice (EBP) is introduced to students, despite the identification of EBP as a core concept for the program. According to the current curriculum, introduction of EBP occurs during the third semester research course. However, scattered projects during the first two semesters utilize EBP skills, without focused content on EBP at an introductory level to inform these assignments. The SON also lacks a clear vehicle to mentor and guide faculty in course designs that infuse EBP and to actively engage students in it.
Results: Guided by the AACN accreditation guidelines and evidence-based practice framework by Flood, Gasiewicz and Delpier (2010) that describes progression of evidence-based practice from novice to advanced levels, a curricular framework emerged.
Conclusion: Findings from the assessments and implementation recommendations based on the new framework were presented to SON in March 2016. A multi-phase implementation of revisions to the undergraduate nursing curriculum to improve student outcomes related to undergraduate EBP was proposed and scheduled to commence Fall 2016.