Inpatient Nuero-oncology Nurse Practitioner Boston Childrens Hospital boston, Massachusetts, United States
Title: From Knowledge to Impact: Why Continued Education is Essential for Pediatric Nurses
Abstract : Continuing education (CE) is an important aspect of nursing to ensure staff continue to feel competent and confident in their practice. Caring for pediatric neuro-oncology patients in the acute care setting requires a specialized skillset and knowledge base. At a large urban academic medical center, a gap was identified in availability of formal CE opportunities for nursing staff to expand their neuro-oncology foundation outside of initial nursing orientation. In this niche specialty, lack of additional education can leave nurses feeling insecure. The purpose of this project was to assess the gap in nursing CE, specifically regarding pediatric neuro-oncology, to provide a beneficial continuing education opportunity, and to evaluate the impact of a structured education day.
Methods for this project included 10 pediatric inpatient neuroscience nurses who attended an in-person structured education day tailored to pediatric neuro-oncologic nursing care hosted by advanced practice providers who have specialized in pediatric neuro-oncology and stem cell-transplant. The cohort had 2 to 3 years of floor experience. The day was 8 hours and included didactics with slide show presentations. A pre and posttest implementation model was used prior to the start of the education day and a posttest immediately following the completion of the education day.
Through analysis of the qualitative data, participants indicated that the education enhanced their knowledge of caring for neuro-oncology patients and had a positive effect on their current practices. They also recognized that the insights gained would result in changes to their ongoing practice. Two participants expressed that they wished they had the opportunity to attend this education day earlier on in their career. The average pretest score was 59.4% and the average posttest score was 73.8%. Eight of the participants had an improved post test score and 2 of the participants posttest score remained the same.
