Staff RN Perspective on Evidence Supporting Practice

QSEN

Submitter Information

Author: Dori Taylor Sullivan, PhD, RN, BC, CNA, CPHQ
Title: Chair, Department of Nursing, Director of Interdisciplinary Studies
Institution: College of Education & Health Professions, Sacred Heart University
Email: sullivand@sacredheart.edu

Competency Category(s)
Evidence-Based Practice

Learner Level(s)
New Graduates/Transition to Practice, Pre-Licensure ADN/Diploma, Pre-Licensure BSN, RN to BSN

Learner Setting(s)
Skills or Simulation Laboratories

Strategy Type
Case Studies

Learning Objectives

  • Determine an staff RN’s perspective on the evidence basis for a common nursing intervention
  • Categorize the RN’s response as to the “way of knowing” typology
  • Investigate whether and how the evidence basis for common nursing
    actions are communicated in a designated organizational setting
  • Make recommendations for improving the evidence basis for the common nursing intervention selected

Strategy Overview

The basic strategy for this exercise is to provide individual nursing
students with the opportunity to observe an RN’s practice then
informally interview that nurse as to what evidence supports his/her
practice. It is critical that faculty sensitive the student to potential
defensive staff reactions – and this exercise is best employed where a
relationship already exists between a student and a specific nurse. Role
playing a typical interchange of this type as a classroom or clinical
laboratory exercise before asking students to complete the assignment is
strongly recommended. The attached document details the student
assignment and recommended debriefing strategies. This is not a graded
assignment.

Submitted Materials

Additional Materials

Evaluation Description

This exercise is designed to provide a reality basis to classroom
discussions and readings regarding EBP. While some health care
organizations have made great strides in integrating EBP, others will be
at the very beginning of this initiative. It is important for students
to gain an understanding of this reality in nursing practice. Several
options are available for debriefing this exercise included: Instructing
individual students to report in a reflective log with faculty
providing feedback after reviewing the students’ postings Small
discussion groups within the classroom or clinical laboratory settings
(or a post conference session) can be assigned to compare responses to
the questions posed within the assignment with themes reported to the
larger group The recommendations for improvement provide a useful focus
for relating to the leadership role of RNs within various health care
settings