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Few options are available to nursing regulatory boards for the evaluation of nursing competency in registered nurses who are reported for practice breakdown. To address this deficiency, the authors conducted funded research through collaboration between their respective institutions: a state nursing regulatory board, a community college nursing program, and a state university nursing program. Through this collaboration, a competency evaluation process that used high-fidelity simulation was developed and was called the nursing performance profile (NPP). The NPP process consisted of evaluation of videotaped performances of registered nurses providing simulated patient care in three successive situations. Nurses who were experienced in both practice and supervision rated the performances according to scoring guidelines developed by the authors. Findings showed that the NPP process has the potential to (1) provide regulators, educators, and employers with a quantitative picture of nurse performance across nine areas essential to safe practice, and (2) establish a basis for recommending a specific remediation plan or continuing professional development.

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Staff nurse preceptors contribute importantly to student learning and to academic program outcomes; however, academic-clinical partnerships can offer focused learning opportunities for preceptors as well. This study addressed different interest levels in evidence-based practice across clinical settings by testing the effectiveness of a workshop designed to increase preceptor knowledge and endorsement of evidence-based practice. Nurse preceptor participants (N = 160) recruited from seven hospitals during 2009 to 2011 had an average age of 43.9 (SD = 11.5) and an average of 17.0 (SD = 11.2) years of nursing experience. Participants' scores on the Evidence-Based Practice Beliefs Scale improved significantly from pretest to posttest (M(pre) = 59.0, SD(pre) = 8.4, M(post) = 66.4, SD(post) = 6.8, p < .001), which was confirmed by subgroup analyses. At follow-up (1 to 25 months), 52% of the nurse preceptors reported increased use of evidence-based practice. This study indicates that a short collaborative, content-focused workshop can promote preceptor endorsement of evidence-based practice.

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Background: Vaccine-preventable diseases significantly influence the health and academic success of college students. Despite the known negative impact of these diseases, vaccination rates routinely fall short of national goals and recommendations. Although vaccination decisions are complex, a recommendation from a health care provider is one of the key motivators for individuals receiving a vaccine. Motivational interviewing (MI), a counseling approach primarily used to address substance abuse, can be applied to other health-related behaviors.Local Problem: Despite previous quality improvement efforts aimed at increasing vaccine rates for influenza, human papillomavirus (HPV), and meningitis B (MenB), vaccinations at large university health centers have been well below benchmarks set by Healthy People 2020.Methods: This study was guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior and included MI training and regular reinforcement for health care providers to address vaccine hesitancy with college students.Results: Influenza vaccination rates improved, but HPV vaccine rates remained stable and MenB vaccine rates decreased compared with the previous year. Clinicians demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge of MI techniques after a targeted educational intervention. Repeat measures indicate the potential for sustained improvement when ongoing reinforcement is provided.Conclusion: MI can be an effective part of a strategy to increase vaccination rates.