Project Accomplishments:
Nursing Transition to Practice
The West Virginia Action Coalition (known as the Future of Nursing WV, or FONWV) created an online transition-to-practice (TTP) educational course offering support for new nurse graduates who are transitioning to their first nursing position, with the goal of improving retention and quality. A project manager and project teams contracted with an outside vendor to develop a continuing education course that focuses on the following topics: communication, delegation, time management, pain management, end-of-life care, and stress management. The TTP track also includes an online education class for preceptors
Nine hospital/medical centers from seven of the health regions of West Virginia participated in the research to develop the course content. The TTP course went live on May 1, 2016 and is available for purchase, which supports the sustainability of this project. From its onset to June 30, 2017, the enrollment averaged 130 students across the different topics with representation from seven of the rural geographic regions of West Virginia. The project team developed, collected, and reviewed course evaluations, receiving positive feedback.
Nursing Leadership
FONWV’s leadership team created an online continuing education program focused on nursing management and mentoring to support the development of nurse leaders. The team collected survey data from chief nursing officers to inform the creation of the online program. Nursing Management Course spans a variety of topics, including budgeting and nursing ethics. The mentoring component was also developed worth continuing education. These leadership course offerings went live on May 1, 2016 and enrolled an average of 56 participants representing seven WV regions for the various topics. This curriculum for nursing management and mentoring is under the umbrella of the Nursing Leadership Academy, which offers the courses to the public for purchase, generating revenues that support its continued use.
Resources:
- West Virginia Creates Online Course to Help Recent Nursing Graduates Transition to Practice
- West Virginia Creates Training Course for Developing Nurse Leaders
- West Virginia Provides Resources for Prospective Nursing Students