Diffusing QSEN competencies across schools of nursing: the AACN/RWJF Faculty Development Institutes

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Nursing faculty require enhanced strategies to integrate quality and safety content into curricula.
• The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) initiative addresses core competencies essential for modern healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of regional Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Faculty Development Institutes.
• To equip nursing faculty with skills to teach and integrate QSEN competencies into prelicensure nursing programs.

Main Methods:

• Regional institutes utilized a train-the-trainer approach for over 1,100 nursing faculty nationwide.
• Coursework focused on the 6 core QSEN competencies, incorporating pre- and post-institute surveys.
• Participants represented diverse prelicensure nursing programs (diploma, associate, baccalaureate).

Main Results:

• Preinstitute surveys revealed needs for specific content on quality improvement, teamwork, informatics, and electronic health records.
• Postinstitute evaluations showed high participant satisfaction, with content deemed clear, specific, and applicable.
• The institutes successfully engaged a large number of faculty and disseminated effective teaching tactics.

Conclusions:

• Regional faculty development institutes are a highly effective strategy for disseminating Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) principles.
• These institutes empower nursing faculty to improve the integration of quality and safety education, ultimately enhancing patient care.
• The train-the-trainer model successfully scaled the impact of QSEN initiatives across diverse nursing programs.