Using student-collected practice data as a teaching tool

Research is an intimidating prospect for many students. This brief and fairly simple foray into data collection and analysis did not convince all students to embrace research. It did, however, entice many to consider how to incorporate data collection into their own beginning practices. Students who had stated their aversion to research found themselves arguing for the necessity of data collection to provide evidence for practice changes. There were also students who found the experience yet another busywork paper trail invented by the faculty. They resented the time and effort required for completion of another form during their busy clinical experiences. Other students remained adamantly opposed to considering any changes in what they saw as "appropriate" practice despite evidence to the contrary. An ongoing goal of education is to facilitate lifelong learning and investigation into clinical questions. The faculty plan to survey the graduates to ascertain what data collection efforts, if any, they are currently using. The educational program described in this project closed in December 1998 because of funding restrictions. One of the faculty in this project (Carr) and current colleagues are continuing to use the NMCDS to encourage students to examine and analyze their own practices. An additional use of the data set is for student-initiated research projects that focus on specific clinical questions. One faculty member was part of an effort to institute a similar project in a master's-based nurse-midwifery education program. That database has currently provided data for two master's degree projects. The uses of the NMCDS are not limited to graduate students or advanced practice clinicians. The tool is being used in an undergraduate maternity nursing clinical course to assist students in seeing differences in practice and the possible reasons for those differences. The Division of Research of the ACNM has sponsored the development of similar data collection tools for both ambulatory prenatal and well-woman care. The wellwoman tool is currently in the pilot stage (1999), and will be refined and further tested this year. The use of these data collection tools by advanced practice nurses would provide a wealth of data for both policy setting and clinical research. Educational programs frequently combine coursework for various advanced practice nursing pathways, and nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner students would benefit from jointly focusing on practice patterns and participating in the analysis of student-collected data. The standardized tools for intrapartum, well-woman care, and antepartum care will be available to all of the 50 ACNM education programs as well as to practicing clinicians.