Fostering RN-to-BSN students' confidence in searching online for scholarly information on evidence-based practice

Abstract

Graduates of bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) programs are increasingly expected to take an active role in assessing and improving nursing practice, and nurse educators are expected to prepare BSN students for this expanding role. Information literacy, the ability to search for, find, get, and use scholarly information to inform nursing practice, should be a critical component of nursing education. This article focuses on five strategies for teaching information literacy to registered nurse (RN)-to-BSN students in an online continuing education environment. These strategies include the addition of an embedded librarian to the online courses, collaboration between the librarian and nursing faculty, a subject guide with access to resources and tutorials at the point of need, student-centered learning with authentic assignments, and reflection on the learning process. Student reflections suggest that these strategies result in increased confidence in searching for and finding the evidence-based scholarship that they need. © SLACK Incorporated.