Engaging Students as EBP Ambassadors in a Rural Hospital

Abstract

Purpose: A regional research consortium provided a forum to optimize resources and fill gaps in services for all stakeholders. Through the consortium, an academic practice partnership was formed with a state university's nursing program to assist a rural, critical access hospital's nursing staff gain evidence-based practice (EBP) knowledge and skills. The aim of this project was to create, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of student led workshops to educate and empower critical access hospital staff nurses with EBP knowledge and skills. Sample: A convenience sample of staff nurses who attended monthly staff meetings was used. Sixteen nurses completed the pre-test, and 19 nurses completed the post-test. Method: The EBP Implementation Scale and EBP Beliefs Scale was used in a pretest/posttest design to evaluate staff nurse beliefs about EBP and implementation of EBP in their nursing practice. Findings: The nurses reported increased knowledge and application of EBP. The students developed professional and leadership skills. Conclusion: A healthcare research consortium provided a forum that connected academia and practice and fostered sharing of expertise and resources. Partnerships between nursing programs and rural, critical access hospitals may be an option for optimizing resources.