Immersion in Evidence-Based Practice Fellowship Program: A Transforming Experience for Staff Nurses

The aim of this study was to explore professional and personal changes staff nurses experience during and after a 1-year evidence-based practice program. Focus groups were conducted with staff who completed an evidence-based practice fellowship program. Five themes emerged from the focus groups: support, resources, knowledge, opportunity, and empowerment. A 1-year fellowship program provides essential elements needed for organizational structural empowerment. Sense of empowerment helps to explain outcomes of fellowship programs and successes of graduates.