Baseline Indicators and Implementation Strategies in a Statewide Correctional Nurse Competencies Program: Mid-Year Report

This 3-year, public-academic workforce development project aimed to establish indicators for quality correctional nursing care to empirically test the translation of correctional nursing standards into practical and applied competencies.

Approaches to document indicators and achieve implementation of a correctional nurse competency system include (a) knowledge transfer and exchange, (b) system mapping, (c) adherence to implementation plan and strategy, and (d) practice-based action research.

Indicators were established. Twenty-five percent (n = 111) of nurses maintained clinical credentials beyond the basic requirements; 86% (n = 381) of nurses received continuing nursing education certificates, 98% (n = 434) of nurses were satisfied with the program, and 43% (n = 9,052) of inmate/patients were satisfied with clinical care. Quality ratings of program educators averaged 4.79 on a 5-point scale.

Innovation is supported by adding continuous improvement components to the implementation of a correctional nurse competency system effort. Team members' consensus decision making enabled them to apply their domain-specific knowledge to assess the success of the implementation strategy.