May 31, 2010 Toronto's St Michael's Hospital showcased the Research Advancing Practice's (RAP) [2009 PDF] latest cohort. The program involves a group of frontline nurses that enroll in a program that gives them to time to learn and conduct research. Behind the program is Dr. Lianne Jeffs (see Lianne Jeff's Nursing Ideas interview here) and takes in nurses like Martha Schroder (her interview here). The program is fantastic on so many levels, it promotes a culture of learning, allows nurses to improve the workplace, job satisfaction is enhanced and most importantly the research focuses on improving patient care!

When I heard the date for these presentations was announced I marked off my calendar I knew I wanted to go, but when I got there there was something different. This year the nursing RAP (what a great name!) had a new abbreviation, the RAPpers (as they are called) took part in RAP-CD (career development). During the opening remarks it was explained that Janice Waddell had been working on integrating the Donner-Wheeler career visioning into the program. Although at first glance it might not appear a large addition. Career development is not a new topic, but to nursing the incorporation of CD into a program that is already doing incredible things this addition is very significant. Nurses that participate expresses a number of positive outcomes, and one of those is an interest in further education. When nurses are given the opportunity to learn, conduct research, and improve patient care it really improves they way they view their role in the hospital, including the CD ensures that nurses not only consider further education but also their future career.

Watching the nurses talk about their experiences, research, and what they hope to do in the future was inspiring. Rarely on walking into a hospital is it possible to walk into a room of energized nurses talking about how excited they are, how the organization is supporting them, and creating future dreams about what they would like to do. Below are some pictures from the day, I highly encourage you to take a look, consider if your organization might be able to do something similar, and finally to remember that nurses are the frontline of healthcare delivery, which gives us the best perspective to come up with great research questions.

The RAP-CD initiative is a fantastic idea. I truly encourage every nurse and nursing organization to consider if this is a possibility. Creating dynamic programs like RAP-CD create amazing opportunities to support employees and improve patient care!