Teaching Evidence-Based Practice: The Bachelor of Science in Nursing Essentials at Work at the Bedside

Patient safety and quality outcomes are major issues in the health care industry. Many national organizations have pushed these issues to the forefront of health care, demanding that health care professionals, especially nurses, play a vital role and be vigilant in these endeavors. Nurse educators, using The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice, are in a unique position to impact health care systems and patient care by educating and training nursing students in the skills necessary to promote safety and quality outcomes. This article describes a creative, authentic learning experience that is currently being used in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The learning experience is a shared partnership between the clinical agency, the faculty, and the health science librarian to assist senior nursing students in the last semester of their baccalaureate degree program to synthesize and use the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that promote patient safety and optimal outcomes. It is a teaching strategy that incorporates many of the outcomes from the BSN Essentials and aids students to actively seek and deliver care using evidence-based practice.