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Department

Comprehensive Clinical Care

Position/Job Title

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Description

Background: At one midwestern teaching hospital, nurse engagement was not optimal and professional development opportunities focused on research and evidence-based practice (EBP) were lacking. The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) team identified journal clubs as an opportunity to increase engagement after reviewing the literature. This journal club was named, Scrub Club. Aims or research questions: The aim of this quality improvement (QI) project was to foster inquiry, disseminate EBP, build professional relationships, and utilize Scrub Club as a platform for professional development and advancement. Design: The QI project design was centered around the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) framework. Previously, the CNS team offered a quarterly continuing education event based off the organization’s annual needs assessment. The team wanted an active learning format offered more frequently to meet nursing requests. To increase attendance, a hybrid format was developed and offered. The CNS team reviewed the previous nursing needs assessment and identified topics of interest. This event occurred monthly on the same day as shared governance and was offered multiple times. To extend this opportunity, a call-in line was developed and utilized. Sample/Setting: At one midwestern teaching hospital, Scrub Club focused on optimizing professional development for both inpatient and outpatient nursing staff, as well as for advanced practice nursing providers. Data collection Procedures: To assess the effectiveness of Scrub Club, the CNS team recorded participant attendance and reviewed professional development portfolio submissions. Continuing education (CE) hours were disseminated to active Scrub Club participants. Professional development portfolio submissions were analyzed for the use of Scrub Club as an activity. For this activity to be counted the participant would need to attend at least six sessions annually. These two methods allowed data to be viewed from a nursing engagement and professional development perspective. Analysis: The analysis of this QI project showed an increase in the amount of participation in this professional development activity. Findings: In calendar year 2022, 112 nurses attended Scrub Club. In calendar year 2023, the number of nurses who attended Scrub Club rose to 195. Additionally, 34 nurses identified Scrub Club attendance as an activity within their submitted professional advancement portfolios for the 2022-2023 application period. This journal club QI project showed to be an effective and innovative way to cultivate professional development and advancement.

Publication Date

4-15-2025

Keywords

Henry Ford Jackson Hospital Research Symposium, comprehensive clinical care, improvement project

Scrub Club: No Dues, Just News

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