Quality and Safety Education changes are well underway

Katie Kafel, Judith Walsh, and JoAnn Mulready-Shick are halfway through the implementation phase of the Robert Wood Johnson funded Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) national learning collaboration grant.

The overall goal of this learning collaborative is for schools of nursing to “reshape identity formation in nursing” so that when we think of what it means to be a respected nurse, not only do we think of caring, knowledge, honesty, and integrity, but also valuing and developing competencies in quality improvement, teamwork, safety, patient-centered care, evidence-based practice, and informatics.

Three great examples of visible change are Dr. Susan DeSanto-Madeya’s senior student capstone project on QSEN competencies, CCER Director Judy Walsh’s and clinical instructor Pam Corey’s development of a new pediatric simulated learning experience centered on safety and patient-centered care, and Professor Katie Kafel’s revision of a perioperative clinical learning activity which now includes a teamwork and collaboration focus.

As Dr. Mulready-Shick sums it up, “This grant is affording us many opportunities to make positive changes in the undergraduate curriculum for the benefit of our students entering professional nursing practice in the 21st century.” To learn more about the CNHS learning collaborative with fourteen other schools of nursing nationwide, visit http://www.qsen.org.