Since the launch of the demonstration project initiative between UF Health Shands and the UF College of Nursing in 2022, a noticeable increase in enthusiasm for research and collaboration has emerged among hospital nurses and college faculty.
That enthusiasm permeated the 12th Annual UF Health Nursing Research & Innovation Conference on Oct. 25 at the HPNP auditorium, as dozens of nurses, nursing students, and faculty attended the annual showcase of bedside nurse-driven projects.
Laurie Duckworth, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, FAAN, a clinical professor and director of nursing research for UF Health who has helped oversee the demonstration projects, said the level of collaboration since the demonstration projects have taken off.
“We have always had this partnership. But these demonstration projects have really imbedded the notion that we are nurses and we can and should be collaborating,” Duckworth said.
Jennifer Pruitt, RN, MSN, CNM, ARNP, also a director of nursing research for UF Health, agreed.
“You can see it. The collaboration is mentioned in everyone’s presentation. That collaboration and that bridge is essential to the growth of UF Health and the College of Nursing,” Pruitt said.
College of Nursing Dean Shakira Henderson, PhD, DNP, MS, M.P.H., EMBA, IBCLC, RNC-NIC. said nurses are essential to research and innovation.
“Who better to drive innovation than nurses? They are the ones who spend the most time with patients,” Henderson said. “I hope that over the next few years, you will own your power. Because I think nurses know things that nobody else does.”
Lakeshia Cousin, PhD, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, an assistant professor at the College of Nursing, was the keynote speaker and discussed her part in a demonstration project that conducted a nurse mentorship program for more than 20 Eastside High School students.
“I was so happy when I learned about the demonstration projects,” Cousin said. “I said sign me up. I missed working with bedside nurses.”
She was even more excited when she learned the project she would work on was an effort to help recruit nurses from diverse backgrounds.
“I feel that it is so important to have people that look like you to give you a light,” Cousin said. “Mentorship helped me. This will be wonderful to get them going into nursing.”
They had a successful one-year pilot that included several workshops and hands-on activities. They are currently seeking funding to continue the mentorship program.
Seeing projects come to fruition has given nurses more impetus to pursue their ideas.
“The culture has become very rich for sharing ideas,” Duckworth said. “This has opened a door to a whole new world.”