Running head: E-FOLIO- ESSENTIAL III 1

E-folio- Essential III

Soibah K. Jalloh
Frostburg State University








E-FOLIO- ESSENTIAL III 2

E-Folio Essential III
The purpose of this paper is to depict on Essential III-Scholarship for Evidence
Based Practice and how it relates to my learning experience in Nursing Research and Evidence-
Based Practice course. The main focus of Essential III is for baccalaureate prepared nurses to
understand the critical element of scholarly practice and apply evidence based practice into their
patient care delivering. Evidence-based practice models provide systematic process for the
evaluation and application of scientific evidence surround practice issues (IOM, 2003b).
Baccalaureate nurses integrate reliable evidence from multiple ways of knowing to informed
practice and make clinical judgments. In collaboration with other healthcare team members,
graduates participate in documenting and interpreting evidence for improving patient
outcomes (AACN, 2006b).
Exemplar
During my Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice course, we were asked to
conduct evidence based research on any topic of our choosing. I chose to conduct my research on
the effects of eight hour vs. twelve hour shifts. Needless to say this was my first research article.
For starters, I was unfamiliar with most of the terminologies needed to conduct a research; such
as: Problem statement, purpose statement, hypothesis, Patient, problem or population,
intervention, comparison/ control or comparator, outcomes (PICO) and so on. I did not let this deter
me from completing the assignment. One of the requirements for this assignment was to find a
research article that was done on my selected topic and critique the credibility of this article. I
had a lot of question about critiquing other peoples work, because Im with the assumption that
these individual are far more educated than I am and even if a mistake was made I will not be
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able to grasp it because my knowledge is not at the same level as theirs. Well, I quickly learned
that I was wrong about my assumption of not being able to detect mistakes made by these other
researchers and the credibility of their sources. The research comparing the differences between
8-hour and 12-hour shifts was not conclusive. Further studies on staff scheduling practices that
look more closely at the relationship between extended work hours and safe care of patients
needs to be done to help make these studies more conclusive. A research focus should branch out
to other healthcare facilities that use nurses not just in the hospitals settings. A comprehensive
overview should be taken into consideration of male nurses, nurses with young children, older
nurses etc. to get a full understanding of the effects of 12-hour shifts on nurses.
Reflection
As professional nurses, its expected for us to safeguard patients right, dignity and to
identify potential harm and prevent it before it actually occurs. Some of the focal points of
Essential III is for the professional nurse to demonstrate an understanding of the basic elements
of the research process and models for applying evidence to clinical practice; to advocate for the
protection of human subjects in the conduct of research and evaluate the credibility of sources of
information, including but not limited to databases and Internet resources (AACN, 2008).
During the research of compare the effects of eight hours versus twelve hour shift, I was able to
implement majority of the requirements by Essential III as stated above.




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References:
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education
for professional nursing practice. Retrieved from:
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education/pdf/BaccEssentials08.pdf
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2006b). Position statement on nursing
research. Retrieved from
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Publications/pdf/NsgResearch.pdf
Institute of Medicine (2003b). Health professions education: A bridge to quality.
Washington, DC: National Academies Press.