Partners in academia and practice: Expediting and transforming scholarly nursing projects

Abstract

The introduction of evidenced-based practice and research, and the clinical application of knowledge is commonplace in accredited nursing curricula. Through projects, capstone development, and dissertations, students are provided opportunities to enhance knowledge and strengthen the pathways that lead to further professional query. It is essential that students practicing in the community are presented with standardized expectations and that they are uniformly mandated throughout the hosting clinical sites. A consortium that included nurse researchers from academic institutions and hospitals was formed to identify the elements of successful scholarly proposals. The goal of this project was to provide comprehensive and meaningful guidelines for the development of successful scholarly proposals. A packet was developed and used to guide students and health care organizations through the required steps for proposal approval. The change was implemented using Kotter's Eight Step Process for Leading Change.