Dorothy Otto Research Award

Project Title: National Study of Quality, Safety, and Just Culture in Pre-licensure Nursing Education
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Gerry Altmiller, EdD, APRN, ACNS-BC, ANEF, FAAN
The College of New Jersey

Amount Awarded: $22,000

Abstract: Background: A culture of safety is comprised of a just culture, a reporting culture, and a learning culture (The Joint Commission, 2017). Healthcare organizations support a culture of safety by encouraging error reporting without fear of punishment and by conducting investigations to determine causes to improve quality and learn from mistakes. The same is not true of prelicensure nursing education where the response to errors is often punitive and may even threaten dismissal. Purpose: This national study will evaluate prelicensure nursing education’s integration and application of quality and safety competencies by assessing nursing students’ understanding of the QSEN competencies and experience with concepts of fair and just culture as an underpinning for quality and safety. Methods: Health outcomes are contingent on nursing education and investigating this education-practice gap in a large and diverse national sample provided by the National Student Nurse Association, aligns with the NLN Research priority in nursing education which calls for the creation of robust research that addresses critical education issues. Significance: Excellence in nursing education will advance if educators address this critical education issue and prepare the next generation of nurses to identify with quality and safety values so that they may serve as change agents for a safer, more effective healthcare system. Investigation of this education-practice gap regarding response to errors has the potential to positively impact patient care. Conducting a far-reaching national assessment is the first step in transforming nursing education to maximize quality and safety competency integration and adopt fair and just culture concepts that encourage safety reporting, identification of error prone behaviors, and learning from mistakes.

Published results: National Study of Quality, Safety, and Just Culture in Prelicensure Nursing Education.

NLN Foundation for Nursing Education Award

Project Title: Teaming Up for Community Health: Mixed Methods Study of an Innovative Interprofessional Simulation Intervention 

 Kelly Powers, PhD, RN, CNE, Jamie Brandon, DNP, RN, CNE, and
 Colette Townsend-Chambers, DNP, RN, CHSE
 University of North Carolina - Charlotte

Amount Awarded: $25,000

Abstract: Dramatic changes in the healthcare system will continue to move care from hospitals to community settings. It is vital to prepare nursing students for community-based care and there must be a focus on addressing social determinants of health to improve healthcare equity and outcomes among vulnerable populations. For optimal outcomes among persons with complex social needs, students must be prepared to work in interprofessional teams. This mixed methods study will examine a multi-component, team-based simulation intervention delivered over 3-weeks to prepare students for collaborative care within community settings (NLN Priorities I and II). Using a two-group design, outcomes of implementing the intervention with INTRAprofessional and INTERprofessional student teams will be compared. Baccalaureate nursing and social work students will participate,and measures will include attitudes and empathy toward persons living in poverty, commitment to addressing social determinants of health, and interprofessional teamwork socialization, valuing, and attitudes. Student experiences with the community simulations and their perceived ability to apply the experience to clinical practice will be explored. This study will advance the science of nursing education by addressing several evidential gaps related to community health nursing education. Findings will have important implications for faculty seeking to prepare students to provide collaborative care within communities.

Published results: Teaming Up for Community Health Simulation Intervention: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Mary Anne Rizzolo Doctoral Research Award

Realistic Interruptions during Simulated Medication Administration: An Examination of Errors and Interruption Management Strategies

Ginger Schroers, MS, RNC-MNN, CNE (NLN Jonas Scholar 2019-2020)
Loyola University; Villanova University Doctoral Program

Amount Awarded: $2,500

CO-SPONSORED GRANTS 

NLN/Eastern Nursing Research Society Doctoral Research Award

Development and Initial Validation of an Instrument Measuring Role-Specific Knowledge in Academic Nurse Educators

Kristen McLaughlin, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC
Drexel University; Widener University Doctoral Program

Amount Awarded: $2,500

NLN/Southern Nursing Research Society Doctoral Research Award

Seamless Academic Progression for Associate Degree Nursing Students

Candice Overholser, EdD, RN
College of Coastal Georgia; University of West Georgia Doctoral Program

Amount Awarded: $5,000