Promoting Evidence-Based Practice in Clinical Education at a Hospice Designated Education Unit

Integration of palliative care principles into undergraduate nursing curriculum is essential to prepare students to provide supportive care services across the continuum of care for individuals with serious illness. Baccalaureate nursing curricula emphasize development and application of evidence-based practice (EBP); however, development of nursing skills often overshadows teaching students how to deliver care or facilitate practice changes based on evidence in clinical education. Problems revealed in clinical practice are a valuable tool for improving student use and appreciation of EBP in clinical settings. The EBP project presented in this article provides a process to promote palliative and end-of-life EBP in clinical education. This project highlights the proposed American Association of Colleges of Nursing hospice/palliative/supportive care sphere of care in a hospice dedicated education unit following The Seven Steps of EBP. Students participating in the project developed core skills to search, appraise, and translate evidence and the ability to lead EBP projects guided by the dedicated education unit model. Dedicated education units serve as ideal clinical education sites to develop student EBP competencies and support transition to practice through collaboration with practice partner stakeholders.