Running head: ESSENTIAL III: Scholarship for Evidence Based Practice 1

e-Folio - Essential III: Scholarship for Evidence Based Practice

LaDonna D. Henderson

Frostburg State University

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ESSENTIAL VIII: Scholarship for Evidence Based Practice 2

e-Folio - Essential III: Scholarship for Evidence Based Practice

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essential VIII of The Essentials

of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (2008) is Scholarship for Evidence

Based Practice. As a professional nurse, engaging in evidence-based nursing practice is just

one sign that a nurse is a leader. (What Are Nursing Quality Indicators?, 2011). Leadership is

an important aspect of professional nursing as it allows nurses to not only shape their own

nursing practice, but also positively impact the professional as a whole, which translates into

better quality nursing care.

Exemplar

The research project written for my class on Nursing Research and Evidence best

illustrates the components of AACNs Essential III, which recognizes that Professional nursing

practice is grounded in the translation of current evidence into ones practice. (American

Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008, p. 15). The requirements of the research project were

to select a topic of interest to utilize in examining the procedure and importance of research in

the practice of a baccalaureate-prepared nurse. Of interest to me is the topic of nurse staffing

ratios and how they ultimately affect patient outcomes. My research focused on identifying

strategies to improve staffing on inpatient medical-surgical units.

Reflection

As recognized by the American Association of Nurses, baccalaureate nurses are

uniquely positioned to monitor patient outcomes and identify practice issues. (American

Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008, p. 15). Nursing today has become more complex as

nurses take on greater responsibilities in caring for a more complicated patient population. This

complexity affects the nurses ability to safely carry out patient care. With patient safety at the
ESSENTIAL VIII: Scholarship for Evidence Based Practice 3

core of the nursing profession, identifying how nursing ratios impact patient outcomes is critical

in being able to provide safe quality nursing care. Utilizing knowledge that is based in evidence

ensures that best practices are identified and implemented in the workplace. The process of

examining the research available regarding nurse staffing ratios and their impact on patient care

allowed me to meet the expectations of Essential III as I developed an understanding of how the

research process is used to link evidence to clinical practice and ultimately integrate this

knowledge into safe patient care.

ESSENTIAL VIII: Scholarship for Evidence Based Practice 4

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education

for professional nursing practice. Retrieved from

https://frostburg.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-737295-dt-content-rid-

2717188_1/courses/z.BSNProgramResourceCenter/BaccEssentials08.pdf

What Are Nursing Quality Indicators? [Blog post]. (2011, November 2). Retrieved from

http://www.americansentinel.edu/blog/2011/11/02/what-are-nursing-sensitive-quality-

indicators-anyway/