Preparation of nursing students for change and innovation

As health care technology advances and patients require more care, nurses will need to be prepared to change old and incorporate new care practices and systems. Nurses must not only be able to deliver quality nursing care, but will also need to be capable of creating innovative approaches, reacting quickly, and taking calculated risks. Using the Organizational Engineering Model, this study examines the informational processing styles of students entering the nursing profession and in turn, measures the way they process information at the end of their education. The information processing style predicts the ability to innovate, take risks, and change. The findings of this study demonstrate that we attract nursing students who fall within the Conservator information processing style. Conservators focus on outcome certainty and a deliberate response. Schools of nursing also graduate students with this same profile, indicating that we have not altered their information processing style during their education.