Scholarly Activities and the DEU
In 2009, UB SON teamed up with the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care of Buffalo to improve student competencies via a new dedicated education unit.
Former UB School of Nursing Clinical Instructor Joanne Chmura, MS, FNP-BC, was published in Nurse Educator for work on dedicated education unit (DEU) models in hospice and palliative care settings.
A model solution
With studies indicating that many pre-licensure nursing programs do not adequately arm students with skills necessary to interact with terminally ill patients and their families and caregivers, clinical educators strive to uncover the most effective way to teach these vital competencies. Following a series of recommendations and curricula development in end-of-life care by the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC), a collaboration of American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), City of Hope and others, in 2009 the UB School of Nursing adapted a DEU model to the palliative care and end-of-life clinical setting to provide experiential learning for nursing students.
Prepping students for high-quality care
In collaboration with the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care of Buffalo, the School of Nursing designed a DEU model in order to address the chasm between student competencies and necessary skills in an end-of-life setting. This sort of preparation is essential not just for nursing professionals who choose a path in hospice and palliative care – it also provides fundamental professional skills for all nursing students, despite their chosen career path.
Recent DEU Publications
Abstract
Baccalaureate nursing curricula emphasize development and application of evidence-based practice (EBP); however, development of nursing skills often overshadows teaching students how to deliver care or facilitate practice changes based on evidence in clinical education. Problems revealed in clinical practice are a valuable tool for improving student use and appreciation of EBP in clinical settings. The EBP project presented in this article provides a process to promote palliative and end-of-life EBP in clinical education.
Citation
Mann, C. M., & Sullivan, S. S. (2021). Promoting evidence-based practice in clinical education at a hospice designated education unit. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 23(4), 354-359. https://doi.org/10.1097/NJH.0000000000000764
Abstract
This column describes the experience of the units practice council in developing an evidence-based practice teaching program focused on safe sleep for newborn infants.
Citation
Povenelli, T., Manquen, D., Wagner, A., & Raines, D. (2014). An evidence-based safe sleep teaching program. Neonatal Network, 33(6), 353-355.
ABSTRACT
An urgent need exists to identify innovative and evidence-based educational methods to help oncology nurses provide safe and high-quality patient care. One promising solution is the dedicated education unit (DEU) educational model, which partners nursing faculty and skilled nursing clinicians to facilitate the clinical experience of undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students. This article describes the collaborative DEU initiative developed between a university school of nursing and a tertiary cancer center to provide senior nursing students with an innovative method to develop their competencies in oncology nursing practice and care.
CITATION
Dean, G. E., Reishtein, J. L., McVey, J., Ambrose, M. Burke, S. M., Haskins, M., & Jones, J. (2013). Implementing a dedicated education unit: A practice partnership with oncology nurses. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 17(2), 208-210.
Abstract
Quality clinical learning environments (CLE) are crucial to student education and clinical learning and are influenced by both academic and nursing service factors. The University at Buffalo School of Nursing implemented an innovative academic-service partnership model for clinical education of students called a Dedicated Education Unit (DEU). The aims of this study were to (a) investigate students' perceived outcomes of the DEU model on the CLE and (b) explore staff nurses' and faculty's perceived outcomes of the DEU. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of focus groups are reported. Students and DEU nurses reported high scores for satisfaction. Focus group themes for students, faculty, and DEU nurse revealed appreciation for the benefits of the DEU model. The DEU is a worthwhile approach to clinical education that can enhance student's ability to receive diverse clinical experiences and access to clinical experts. Such programs can strengthen academic/service relationships.
Citation
Rhodes, M. L., Meyers, C., & Underhill, M. (2012). Evaluation outcomes of a dedicated education unit in a baccalaureate nursing program. Journal of Professional Nursing, 28(4), 223-230.
Mann, C., Fabry, D., McKay, M., Ziemianski, K., & Steeg, L. Dedicated Education Unit: Train-the-Trainer Symposium. Community training presentation at UB School of Nursing, September 28, 2019.
Balcerzak, L., Bradley, A., Czolgosz, L. , Haskell, W., Huttner, E., Mullen, S., Porter, A., Stella, C., & Mann, C. Using Prognostic Tools to Guide Quality End-Of-Life Care. Poster presented at 32nd Annual Celebration of Nursing Research & Scholarly Activities Conference of the Western New York Professional Nurses Association, April 9, 2019.
Steeg, L., Ziemianski, K., Rhodes, M., Meyers, C., Ceravlo, D., & Mann, C. University at Buffalo School of Nursing Academic-Clinical Partnership: History and Future of the Dedicated Education Model. Poster presented at UB School of Nursing Research Day 2019, April 12, 2019.
Balcerzak, L., Bradley, A., Czolgosz, L. , Haskell, W., Huttner, E., Mullen, S., Porter, A., Stella, C., & Mann, C. Using Prognostic Tools to Guide Quality End-Of-Life Care. Poster presented at UB School of Nursing Research Day 2019, April 12, 2019.
Mann, C. Integrating Evidence in Undergraduate Clinical Education: Improving Self-Determined Life Closure in Hospice Home Care Patients. Poster presented at American Association of Colleges of Nursing Baccalaureate Education Conference, New Orleans, LA, November 16, 2018.
Chen, C.H., & Mann, C. Comparison of Hospice Item Set (HIS) Options to Other Standardized Pain Assessment Tools in Hospice Care. Poster presented at 31st Annual Celebration of Nursing Research & Scholarly Activities Conference of the Western New York Professional Nurses Association, April 17, 2018.