UR School of Nursing Fellowship Program Supports Meaningful Clinical Work By Ivy Burruto
Since 2012, Jessica Lapinski, MNE, RN, CNEcl, instructor of clinical nursing at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, has introduced students to real-life, hands-on experience in a local Dedicated Education Unit (DEU). Established in the Neurosurgery Medical/Surgical Unit at Highland Hospital, the DEU provides a more realistic view of a typical nursing assignment than traditional clinical instruction. The model uses staff nurses—student nurse instructors— to educate nursing students, while academic faculty serve as a resource for both students and nursing staff. Students are paired with the same nurse every week, Lapinski allowing for more consistent evaluation of student progress and improved communication among faculty and nurses. Traditionally, students work with multiple nurses during a clinical rotation and often miss opportunities to learn about the nurses’ other patients. As one of the nurses educated in the DEU and then later as a clinical instructor, Lapinski experienced the model’s benefits and wanted to replicate it at different affiliate institutions across the University of Rochester Medical Center. She had seen the increased job satisfaction among nurses, improved learning outcomes for students, and enhanced relationships between practice and academic institutions. But there were a few considerations that, if addressed, could make the DEU more sustainable. For instance, student nurse instructors expressed some difficulty providing a rich learning experience and required more time and attention when working with students at varying skill levels. Another hurdle was a four-week clinical rotation, which did not allow for enough time for novice students to become immersed in the unit culture. Lapinski was already collecting data to improve the DEU when she saw a call for UR School of Nursing clinical faculty to apply for a new Clinical Scholar Fellowship Program. Formed in 2019 and directed by Susan Ciurzynski, PhD, RN, 26 NURSING 2021 Volume 1
NPD-BC, PNP, VCE, FNAP, assistant director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program and professor of clinical nursing, the Clinical Scholar Fellowship Program is an internally-funded initiative that provides release time to clinical faculty to conduct and publish scholarly projects in a peer-reviewed journal. UR School of Nursing clinical faculty members can apply to receive one of the two annual scholarships—Writing for Publication Fellowship, which funds one semester for clinical faculty to publish findings from a previously-completed scholarly project; and the Clinical Scholar Fellowship, which funds one year to allow for data collection and analysis, followed by manuscript development. Both fellowship options pair fellows with a mentor to provide support throughout the publication process. “The idea is that we give visibility to the school through getting the word out regarding the great work our faculty are doing. We give clinical faculty members the time they’re asking for to collect outcomes to evaluate their programs, and it brings positive attention back to the school,” said Ciurzynski. “It also helps with professional development because publications are a requirement to advance from assistant professor to associate professor of clinical nursing. Publication in peer-reviewed journals is universally accepted as an indicator of scholarship among faculty.” Lapinski—like most clinical faculty—had never before received significant preparation in writing for a peer-reviewed journal. She felt the Clinical Scholar Fellowship Program could be an opportunity to measure the effectiveness of proposed changes in the DEU. She reached out to Ciurzynski, and together, they worked on the abstract to apply to the Clinical Scholar Fellowship Program. Lapinski was approved as the first recipient of the clinical scholar fellowship. She and Ciurzynski held monthly meetings Ciurzynski to discuss areas for
