Creating a research partnership: graduate nursing students and clinical nurses

The role of the nurse research facilitator in building research capacity in the clinical setting

With little guidance in the literature regarding best practices, clinical institutions have used different organizational models to meet the challenges of building research capacity. This article provides recommendations regarding the most productive models based on review of historical clinical research facilitation models and the results of a survey regarding extant models conducted among research facilitators who were members of the Midwest Nursing Research Society.

Nursing Student Research Assistant Program: A strategy to enhance nursing research capacity building in a Magnet status pediatric hospital

For busy clinicians, time to conduct research is scarce. A novel solution, the Nursing Student Research Assistant Program (NS-RAP), was designed in collaboration with area nursing schools to build research capacity at a pediatric hospital. Undergraduate and graduate nursing students participated in a variety of research experiences that, in turn, aided the conduct of clinician-initiated research at the pediatric hospital. In this article, conceptualization, implementation, outcomes, challenges, and future directions of NS-RAP are discussed.

The Densford Clinical Scholars Program

The Densford Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing partners advanced practice nurses and faculty members to design and conduct clinical studies for improving patient care. Benefits have included changes in nursing practice and, on occasion, the practice of other members of the healthcare team; enhanced research skills for clinicians; an enriched professional practice environment; access to clinical facilities for faculty; funding for research; and an expanded network for professional development. The authors describe this innovative partnership.