Promoting Transition to Professional Practice of Senior Nursing Students through the Use of Pagers in the Clinical Setting
Academic Year:
2012 - 2013 (June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013)
Funding Requested:
$500.00
Project Dates:
-
Overview of the Project:
The preparation of baccalaureate graduate nurses in becoming confident, competent practitioners as they enter professional practice is challenged by increasingly complex health care delivery systems that consist of high patient acuity and increased nursing workload. One aspect of professional role development includes efficient and effective patient and interdisciplinary communication. Nurses use pagers in the University of Michigan Health Care System to communicate with patients and other health care team members. The student is left out of the loop of communication when they do not have the ability to receive pages from the patient, or other disciplines. They also do not experience prioritization of immediate demands communicated through the pager system, respond promptly to patient care needs or experience typical competing demands placed on the nurse. In short, they are not being socialized to the entire role of the professional nurse, which may contribute to decreased confidence and/or ‘readiness to practice' upon graduation. Senior nursing students experience clinical immersion in N457/459 which is an apprenticeship-type course designed to promote transition of the student to professional nursing practice. It is proposed that students placed on UMHS moderate or general care units be provided with pagers during this clinical immersion course. Positive student outcomes should include increased communication, autonomy, prioritization, delegation and confidence in their nursing role. Implementation of this innovation will occur in the winter, 2013 semester, and again in the fall 2013 semester. Evaluation will occur through survey feedback from nurse mentors and students following implementation.