Poster contest challenges nurses to hone their research skills
Christiana Care Health System educator Wendy Wintersgill, MSN, RN, CRRN, ACNS-BC, and several members of the Nursing Research Council collaborate annually on a contest called “Critiquing a Research Article, Tell It in a Poster,” designed to challenge Christiana Care nurses and hone their research skills.
Co-authors Wintersgill and Erlinda C. Wheeler, DNS, RN, associate professor of nursing at the University of Delaware, discuss the contest in an upcoming article in the September 2012 issue of the Journal for Staff Development.
“Nurses need research skills such as performing literature searches, critiquing articles and developing research questions to engage in evidence-based practice,” Wintersgill said.
This year during National Nurses Week in May, 28 nurses participated in the contest, submitting 18 posters. The entries were judged by Wheeler, who developed the scoring tool, and by guest judge Kimberly Holmes, MSN, RN, stroke program coordinator at Bayhealth. Winners were selected based primarily on a poster score and secondly on followup discussion between judges.
This program will be a part of a three-panel podium presentation at the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Nursing Conference in Los Angeles in October titled “Reaching for the Stars: Empowering Nurses to be Innovative Leaders through an Evidence Based Clinical Ladder.” The presentation will be given by Marsha Babb, MS, BSN, RN, CNOR; Thea Eckman, MSN, RN, staff education specialist; and Wintersgill. As members of the Nursing Research Council, they will share the story of Christiana Care Health System’s recently updated clinical ladder for nursing and how evidence-based practice is hardwired into nurse performance and promotion.
2012 Nurses Week poster contest winners
1st Place
“Nurse Staffing Levels and Teamwork: A Cross-Sectional Study of Patient Care Units in Acute Care Hospitals” by Aruna Muthukumar, RN, and Chatterjee Geetanjali, RN, PCCN, CCRN, CDU and 3D.
2nd Place
“Critique of a Quantitative Research Article: Why Do Nurses Choose to Work in the Perioperative Field?” by Cherie Crumpler , RN III, CNOR and Pamela Boyd, RN II, CNOR, Wilmington OR.
3rd Place
“Critique of a Quantitative Research Article: Comparison of Hospital Admission Medication Lists with Primary Care Physician and Outpatient Pharmacy Lists” by Justine Harrington, RN II and Jane Tester, RN III, 4D.
Honorable mentions
“Impact of Nurse-Initiated Preoperative Education on Postoperative Anxiety Symptoms and Complications after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting” by Greta Edres-Brown, RN, and Keeley Russell, RN, CH 2E and OHSD.
” Contamination of Hospital Curtains with Healthcare Associated Pathogens” by Heather Bracken and Elenie Lochonic, CH 4D.