TY - JOUR
T1 - Improving Health-Care Quality Through an AFPNP National Nursing Education Collaborative to Strengthen PNP Curriculum in Mental/Behavioral Health and EBP
T2 - Lessons Learned From Academic Faculty and Clinical Preceptors
AU - Hawkins-Walsh, Elizabeth
AU - Crowley, Angela
AU - Mazurek Melnyk, Bernadette
AU - Beauschesne, Michelle
AU - Brandt, Patricia
AU - O'Haver, Judith
PY - 2011/1
Y1 - 2011/1
N2 - In 2004, the Association of Faculty of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners was awarded a grant by the Commonwealth Fund to plan, implement, and evaluate a strengthened national curriculum for students in 20 pediatric nurse practitioner programs throughout the United States. Curricular changes focused on increasing the knowledge and skills of students in the area of evidence-based mental and behavioral health care for children and adolescents. The processes through which this national initiative was undertaken were described in "Strengthening PNP Curricula in Mental/Behavioral Health and Evidence-Based Practice" (B. M. Melnyk et al., 2010). This article focuses on the important perspectives of academic faculty and clinical preceptors and provides critical insight for nursing faculty when planning implementation of significant curricular change. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the challenges and facilitators of implementing a strengthened curriculum in didactic and clinical courses to inform nationwide dissemination of this curriculum to all PNP programs throughout the country. Confidential, structured, individual telephone interviews were conducted with academic and clinical preceptors from the schools that had participated in the implementation study. Curricular change presents challenges in most schools of nursing and will be affected by characteristics unique to each institution. Faculty need to be educated regarding the factors that are likely to enhance the process of making important and timely changes in curriculum. Finally, valuable lessons regarding the necessary early engagement of clinical preceptors should inform future curricular change initiatives.
AB - In 2004, the Association of Faculty of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners was awarded a grant by the Commonwealth Fund to plan, implement, and evaluate a strengthened national curriculum for students in 20 pediatric nurse practitioner programs throughout the United States. Curricular changes focused on increasing the knowledge and skills of students in the area of evidence-based mental and behavioral health care for children and adolescents. The processes through which this national initiative was undertaken were described in "Strengthening PNP Curricula in Mental/Behavioral Health and Evidence-Based Practice" (B. M. Melnyk et al., 2010). This article focuses on the important perspectives of academic faculty and clinical preceptors and provides critical insight for nursing faculty when planning implementation of significant curricular change. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the challenges and facilitators of implementing a strengthened curriculum in didactic and clinical courses to inform nationwide dissemination of this curriculum to all PNP programs throughout the country. Confidential, structured, individual telephone interviews were conducted with academic and clinical preceptors from the schools that had participated in the implementation study. Curricular change presents challenges in most schools of nursing and will be affected by characteristics unique to each institution. Faculty need to be educated regarding the factors that are likely to enhance the process of making important and timely changes in curriculum. Finally, valuable lessons regarding the necessary early engagement of clinical preceptors should inform future curricular change initiatives.
KW - Curricular change
KW - Evidence-based practice
KW - Pediatric mental/behavioral health
KW - Pediatric nurse practitioner curriculum
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U2 - 10.1016/j.profnurs.2010.09.004
DO - 10.1016/j.profnurs.2010.09.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 21272831
AN - SCOPUS:78851469307
SN - 8755-7223
VL - 27
SP - 10
EP - 18
JO - Journal of Professional Nursing
JF - Journal of Professional Nursing
IS - 1
ER -