RWJF Future of Nursing Scholars experience and recommendations: Focus group results at final convening.

BACKGROUND: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched the Future of Nursing Scholars program to support nurses to complete PhDs in 3 years in schools across the United States. PURPOSE: To explore why scholars participated in the program and to articulate challenges and facilitators to successful completion of their doctoral degrees. METHOD: Thirty-one scholars representing 18 different schools participated in focus groups at a convening in January 2022. FINDINGS: Scholars identified that funding and planned length of degree completion were important factors in their choosing the accelerated program. Mentorship, networking, and support were identified as facilitators to program completion with the tight timeline of three years noted as a challenge. DISCUSSION: Accelerated students require adequate resources including access to data, mentoring, and financing to overcome challenges presented by accelerated PhD training programs. Cohort models provide support and clarity of expectations for both students and mentors is critical.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars program: The scholar experience.

BACKGROUND: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars program used multi-pronged approach to support nurses completing accelerated PhD programs. PURPOSE: The purpose of this manuscript was to describe scholars' experiences completing PhDs, their dissertation characteristics, program leadership development sessions, scholar perceptions of program components. METHODS: Of 201 scholars, 157 (78%) completed quantitative exit surveys, providing: satisfaction with doctoral programs and FNS curricula, types of dissertation data used, dissertation formats. Interviews held with five scholars to capture representative themes. FINDINGS: Scholars utilized primary and secondary data for dissertations; 53% primarily used secondary data. The majority (68%) used manuscript dissertation formats. Approximately 64% completely agreed program curricula helped prepare them for professional transitions, to work collaboratively, lead confidently. Proportion of FNS graduates (42%) pursuing postdoctoral positions exceeded national trends. DISCUSSION: Despite stresses posed by accelerated PhD programs, scholars are well-situated to advance nursing science. Findings suggest secondary data analyses work well for accelerated programs. Scholar program experiences were positive.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholars program: An overview.

BACKGROUND: Following the 2010 report, "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health," Robert Wood Johnson Foundation created the Future of Nursing Scholars program to increase the number of PhD-prepared nurses who could assume leadership roles earlier in their careers by shortening the PhD education trajectory and developing leadership skills. PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of the field at program launch, the program development, and operations. METHODS: A descriptive narrative was used, which relied on literature review focused on nursing PhD program completion and presentation of FNS program objectives and findings. FINDINGS: Nurses from 46 schools pursued their PhDs as Future of Nursing Scholars. As of May 1, 2022, 181 scholars graduated with 20 scholars still enrolled. Preliminary results suggest accelerate PhD programs featuring intensive mentoring and financial support can produce well-prepared nurse researchers ready for postdoctoral positions and leadership roles. DISCUSSION: Program attributes including financial support and leadership development initiatives may be replicated.

Introduction: the Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative.

BACKGROUND: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched the Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI) program in 2005 to generate, disseminate, and translate research to understand how nurses contribute to and can improve patient care quality. This special edition of Medical Care provides an overview of the program's strategy, goals, and impact, highlighting cross-cutting issues addressed by the initiative. METHODS: INQRI's leadership and select grantees discuss the implications of a collection of studies on the following: advances in the science of nursing's contribution to quality, measurement of quality, interdisciplinary collaboration, implementation methodology, dissemination and translation of findings, and the business case for nursing. RESULTS: A comprehensive review of the scholarly literature published in 2004 and 2009 found that the evidence linking nursing to quality of care has grown. The second paper discusses INQRI's work on measurement of quality of care, revealing the need for additional comprehensive measures. The third paper examines INQRI's focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, finding that it can enhance methodological approaches and result in substantive changes in health delivery systems. The fourth paper presents methodological challenges faced in health care implementation, emphasizing the need for standardized terms and research designs. The fifth paper addresses INQRI's commitment to translating research into practice, illustrating dissemination strategies and lessons learned. The final paper discusses how the INQRI program has contributed to the current evidence regarding the business case for nursing. DISCUSSION: This supplement describes the accomplishments of the INQRI program, discusses current issues in research design and implementation, and places INQRI research within the larger context regarding advances in nursing science.

Linkages between nursing and the quality of patient care: a 2-year comparison.

BACKGROUND: In 2005, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation established the Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI) program to produce rigorous evidence regarding linkages between nursing and quality of health care. The purpose of this paper is to describe scientific advances in understanding relationships between nursing, care processes, and the outcomes of the people supported by this discipline in 2004 (year before INQRI's launch) and in 2009 (5 years after INQRI was established). METHODS: Comprehensive literature reviews for the years 2004 and 2009 were conducted using a conceptually based search strategy and multidisciplinary engines. The designs, methods, results, and conclusions of included papers were summarized, synthesized, and analyzed. RESULTS: The literature search identified 389 studies (161 in 2004; 228 in 2009), which examined the relationship between nursing and patient care quality. The number of published papers in all categories of study designs-nonexperimental (72 in 2004; 97 in 2009), quasi-experimental (55 in 2004; 80 in 2009) and experimental (34 in 2004; 51 in 2009)-increased between the years 2004 and 2009. This line of inquiry also has expanded its reach through publications in a greater diversity of journals and journals with higher impact ratings. DISCUSSION: The body of evidence regarding linkages between nursing and quality of care has increased in the nature and depth of science between 2004 and 2009, as seen in higher rates and quality of publications, enhanced methodological rigor, and evidence of stronger interdisciplinary collaboration. Although the unique contribution of INQRI to this expanded body of knowledge is unclear, the evidence supports the increased importance of INQRI's goal of measuring and enhancing nursing's contributions to the quality of patient care.