Promoting Student Leadership: Implementing a Quality Improvement and EBP Project to Address Clinical Problems

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has identified that baccalaureate graduates should develop leadership skills to promote quality care including quality improvement concepts and the ability to assist or begin basic quality improvement initiatives.  In addition, graduates need learning experiences to prepare them to address safety and quality concerns in the clinical setting by applying evidence-based knowledge to professional practice (AACN, 2009).   Quality management focuses on identifying potential health care problems and improving care and quality (Sullivan, 2013).  These opportunities can be challenging as nurses serving in leadership roles often have limited availability to work directly with nursing students, thus restricting student exposure to this content.  Students need other creative opportunities to understand leadership roles and the process of quality and safety in the clinical setting. 

This poster presentation will share a learning activity that addressed quality improvement using an evidence-based practice approach in a nursing management/leadership clinical course.  Senior nursing students worked in pairs or small groups to identify a clinical problem during their leadership/management rotation.  The students reviewed the hospital’s current policy related to a clinical issue (for example, patient falls).  Building on their research skills from the junior level, students evaluated and critiqued current literature related to the clinical topic.  As part of the quality improvement project students also collected data on the clinical unit by observing whether or not staff followed appropriate protocol(s) according to hospital policy.  After reviewing current literature and data findings, students identified best practice recommendations related to the clinical problem.  These were shared with nursing staff on the clinical unit in the form of a professional poster.  This presentation will provide an overview of the learning activity and how it was implemented in a clinical course.  Findings from students’ quality reviews and identified outcomes related to the projects will be discussed.   Results of sharing best practice recommendations with staff, and lessons learned for future projects will also be addressed.  The learning activity provided students with multiple opportunities to apply leadership skills in the clinical setting including: application of quality improvement and safety principles, incorporating evidence-based practice principles to address a clinical problem, collaborating with the health care team by sharing best practice recommendations with staff, and development of professional communication skills through the use of poster presentations. 

*American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2009).  The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice.  Author.

Sullivan, E. J.  (2013).  Effective leadership and management in nursing (8th ed.).  New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Tschannen, D., Aebersold, M., Kocan, M. J., Lundy, F., & Potempa, K.  (2015).  Improving patient care through student leadership in team quality improvement projects.  Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 30(2), 181-186.

*Most current version of AACN Essentials