Dr. Bret Lyman, Nursing Department

Evaluation of Academic Objectives

The academic outcomes of the proposal were generally met (and exceeded). The proposal specified that four students would be involved in the mentoring environment, yet we found it possible to include eight students in faculty-mentored research efforts. Although only three students applied for ORCA grant funding (rather than the proposed four), the MEG Grant was sufficient to support nine students’ professional presentations and six students’ peer-reviewed publications. Five students will be continuing to work on projects made possible by this grant, including writing for publication and developing/testing research instruments based on our findings. We anticipate all ten students will ultimately have at least one peer-reviewed publication (and some students will have three).

Because the proposed project advanced more quickly than anticipated (and because students secured other funds to support their conference expenses), we expanded the project’s scope to include writing an article about the innovative research method we used, building theoretical and empirical foundations to undergird future research on our topic (by conducting a concept analysis and a realist review of the literature), and developing research instruments in anticipation of future intervention studies.

The students’ performance related to the proposed academic objectives is outlined below:

Grant Funding

Three students applied for and received ORCA grant funding.

Professional Presentations

Nine students have presented (or are slated to present) their work at local and regional professional conferences:

– Three students were accepted for and gave two poster presentations at the Western Institute of Nursing Conference, April 2017 (Denver, CO).
– Four students were accepted for and are slated to give two poster presentations at the Undergraduate Conference on Undergraduate Research – February 2018 (Cedar City, UT)
– Four students were accepted for and are slated to give two podium presentations at the Western Institute of Nursing Conference, April 2018 (Spokane, WA)
– One student was accepted for and is slated to give a poster presentation in the Western Institute of Nursing Research & Information Exchange, April 2018 (Spokane, WA)

Peer Reviewed Publications

Six students published their work in three peer-reviewed publications:

– “Organizational learning in a cardiac intensive care unit: A learning history” – Published in Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, March 2017
– “Organizational learning in an orthopaedic unit: A learning history” – Published in Orthopaedic Nursing, November 2017
– “Organizational learning in a College of Nursing: A learning history” – Published in Nurse Education Today, November 2017 (in print February 2018)

Manuscripts In Preparation

One student submitted her work to a peer-reviewed publication:

– “The learning history: A method to explore and foster organizational learning in healthcare – Under review in Journal of Advanced Nursing

Five additional students are preparing their work for submission to a peer-reviewed publication:

– Organizational learning in health systems: A concept analysis – In preparation, to be submitted January 2018
– Organizational learning in health systems: A realist review – In preparation, to be submitted February 2018
– Learning from errors in hospitals: A realist review – In preparation, to be submitted April 2018

Research Instruments

Five students have been involved in developing three research instruments based on the work done for this grant:

– One research instrument developed, with preliminary validity testing complete. A multisite study for confirmatory factor analysis & predictive validity testing has received IRB approval.

o Eleven hospitals have agreed to participate, with three more likely to participate.
o Anticipate commencing data collection in January 2018.

– Two additional research instruments developed, with preliminary validity testing nearly complete. A similar, multi-site study will be conducted after data from the study described above has been collected & analyzed. Anticipate beginning data collection January 2019.

Evaluation of the Mentoring Environment

The mentoring environment made possible by this grant exceeded expectations. All ten students mentored through this grant were immersed in a rich mentoring environment where they were able to engage in cutting-edge scholarship that bridges the science of nursing and organizational learning. Each student received personalized instruction on principles of organizational learning, including one-on-one discussions with the PI, focused readings on various aspects of organizational learning, and engaged in intellectually stimulating discussions with other members of the research team. Each student had opportunities to lead and collaborate with others to accomplish a variety of scholarly objectives, including preparing one or more manuscripts for publication. Feedback from the students has been positive, with expressions of gratitude for the opportunity to be involved in this work, to develop their writing and thinking skills, to prepare themselves for graduate studies and/or other professional ambitions. In all measures, it seems clear that the objectives of creating this mentoring environment were exceeded.

Description of the Results/Findings

‐ Developed a conceptual model for organizational learning in healthcare
‐ Conducted a comprehensive realist review of organizational learning in hospitals, including the contextual factors, mechanisms, and outcomes associated with organizational learning

o Developed two research instruments to measure constructs for the contextual factors and mechanisms related to organizational learning.
o Preliminary testing of the instruments suggests they have very good construct validity. Some additional revisions and testing will occur in early 2018.
o Created a theoretical model of “learning from errors” in hospitals – a specific case of organizational learning.

‐ Found evidence that organizational learning is closely linked to psychological safety within the organization and a healthy work environment, and that hospital units progress through developmental stages related to organizational learning.

o Developed a research instrument to measure constructs for each developmental stage related to organizational learning.
o Preliminary testing of the instrument suggests it has excellent construct validity
o Large-scale testing of the instrument has been approved and is expected to be underway in January 2018.

‐ Discovered factors associated with creating an environment and fostering behaviors conducive to organizational learning in a college of nursing

List of Students and Academic Deliverables

How the Budget was Spent