Using QSEN competencies to foster Professional Development among Baccalaureate Nursing Students

QSEN Institute

Submitter Information

Author: Nadine M. Marchi, Co-Author;Colleen Sweeney,
Title: Assistant Professor of Nursing
Institution: Notre Dame College
Email: nmarchi@ndc.edu

Competency Category(s)
Safety, Teamwork and Collaboration

Learner Level(s)
Pre-Licensure BSN, RN to BSN

Learner Setting(s)
Classroom

Strategy Type
General Strategy

Learning Objectives

Patient safety

1. Knowledge-Discuss potential and actual impact of national patient safety resources, initiatives and regulations.
2. Skills- Use national patient safety resources for own professional development and to focus attention on safety in care settings.
3. Attitudes-Value relationship between national safety campaigns and implementation in local practices and practice settings.
 
Evidence-based Practice
1. Knowledge-Delineate the reliable sources for locating evidence reports and clinical practice guidelines.
2.  Skills-Evaluate research and evidence reports related to patient safety.
3. Attitudes- Explain the importance of regularly reading relevant professional journals.
 
Teamwork
1.  Attitude- Acknowledge own potential to contribute to effective team functioning.
2.  Skills-Demonstrate awareness of own strengths and limitations as a team member.
3. Knowledge- Describe own strengths, limitations, and values in functioning as a member of a team.

Strategy Overview

Senior students at Notre Dame College organize a patient safety conference as part of a Health Policy course to fulfill the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  Using the QSEN competencies related to safety, evidence-based practice and teamwork,  students plan the conference in the beginning of the senior year.  Although senior nursing students are responsible for the planning and implementation of the conference, junior and sophomore students also have an active role.  Each class is given an assignment for the patient safety conference corresponding to respective curricular level objectives.  For example, sophomore-level student poster presentations focus on the factors creating a culture of safety and assessment criteria for safe patient handling.  Junior-level student poster presentations integrate evidence-based practice to identify clinical questions.  Senior-level poster presentations address policy issues concerning quality of care and safe healthcare delivery.   A few examples of student work include:  Effective Communication among Caregivers, Reducing Harm from Anticoagulants and Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals.   Senior nursing students are divided into four teams:  publicity, evaluation, set-up and registration.  The senior student teams are responsible for organizing all areas of the conference such as-arranging a venue, locating a speaker, ordering refreshments and working as a team to implement all logistics related to the conference.  Senior students are also required to work as a team with the junior and sophomore nursing students so patient safety is integrated among all three levels of the curriculum.  Also, nursing students from nursing schools in the region are invited to attend and present posters.  The patient safety conference enables nursing students throughout the northeast Ohio region to focus on patient safety by participating in an active student-centered learning event.  In addition, a patient safety speaker presents students with new information related to patient safety.  Conference participants evaluate the conference by completing evaluation forms at the end of the conference.

Submitted Materials

Additional Materials

Evaluation Description

Conference attendees evaluate the conference in three areas:  conference logistics, posters and speaker.  In November 2012,  attendees rated the conference as excellent (50% of the attendees) and very good (40% of the attendees).   Regarding the posters,  the attendees rated posters as excellent (60%) and very good (39%).  The speaker was rated as 64% excellent and 26% very good.  Some of the comments written on the evaluation forms were:

“Presentation was informative and very interesting”
“Will definitely be extremely mindful and conscious of patient safety and infection control”
“Speaker put things in perspective with scenarios, facts and evidence”
“Chairs to close to posters”
“Keep spreading word to surrounding schools”
“Reduce time to 2 hours not 2.5”