Create a nursing-education program that is based on need to improve or maintain the quality of nursing performance.
Include as the basis of the education program a "best-practice standard" such as "Professional Responsibility," which currently has 14 practice indicators.
The indicators should somehow be incorporated into the program. This best-practice standard has indicators such as: 1.1 "A registered nurse is accountable at all times for his own actions."; 1.2 "The registered nurse follows current legislation, standards and policies relevant to the profession or the practice setting." and 1.3 "The registered nurse questions policies and procedures that are inconsistent with therapeutic patient/client outcomes, best practice, and safety standards."
Plan an interactive education program that allows for discussions between facilitators and program participants. Consider break-out groups where participants are asked to take one or more of the indicators and develop ways to incorporate the indicators into their daily nursing practice. Have them include any perceived obstacles. For example: will indicator 1.3 be difficult to achieve within their hospital working environment? Who or what might stop them from questioning a patient treatment or care plan?
Ask all participants to draft their own professional goals based on the best-standard's indicators. They will be asked to self-monitor their progress over time.
Monitor the nurses' goal plans first quarterly, then annually. This evaluation should be done by the nurse educators, as the feedback will provide information on the impact of the education program on nursing practice.
Track and report the impact evaluation data to the appropriate organizational committees. Use this data when preparing future nursing-education programs.