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January 16, 2012 (Cleveland)

Academic Partners Work to Finalize Nursing Practice Gap Curriculum

Academic partners, Lorain County Community College and Ursuline College, are now finalizing the online curriculum to help address the nursing practice gap and ensure new nurses entering the workforce are prepared to deliver competent care to patients. This pilot project, developed by The Center for Health Affairs workforce initiative, NEONI, will involve 20 nurse preceptor participants from four hospitals including Mercy Regional Medical Center, EMH Regional Medical Center, University Hospitals and Lake Health, as well as 20 pre-licensure nursing students from LCCC and Ursuline.

Once the curriculum is finalized in early spring, the nurse preceptor participants will begin the online coursework to help them develop strategies to address and improve low competency areas identified in the New Graduate Nurse Performance Survey. In the survey, nursing leaders were asked to rate new nurse graduates (12 months or less experience) on 36 critical nursing competencies. Based on the results, low competencies included:

• Understanding the principles of evidence-based practice
• Utilization of clinical technologies (IV Smart Pumps, etc.)
• Ability to anticipate risk
• Conflict resolution
• Ability to keep track of multiple responsibilities
• Ability to prioritize
• Delegation of tasks
• Completion of individual tasks within expected time frames

Following the completion of the online program, participating nurse preceptors will precept 10 pre-licensure nursing students from LCCC and 10 students from Ursuline during the summer semester. Upon graduation and nine months of work experience, participating students’ core competencies will be evaluated through a survey to measure the effectiveness of a proper preceptor experience, and in turn improve the nursing practice gap and ensure new nurses are prepared to deliver competent care.

If you have questions in regards to the Nursing Practice-Gap Pilot Project, please contact Pam Waite at 216.255.3650 or pamela.waite@chanet.org.