The Clinical Scholars initiative is a partnership between the UAB School of Nursing and Children’s of Alabama. Each year nurses, nurse practitioners and other healthcare professionals at Children's of Alabama are encouraged to apply to participate in the 12-month program which begins in January.
Once a month, the scholars attend a class taught by the School’s faculty, where they learn about the role and importance of evidence-based practice and quality improvement projects that occur at the bedside. In the meantime, each participating scholar develops, implements and evaluates a unit-based project that aligns with Children’s of Alabama initiatives. Participating scholars also receive targeted content designed to facilitate leadership development.
Throughout the year, School faculty serve as mentors for each scholar and their project. To be selected for the scholars’ program, scholars must be employed at Children’s of Alabama with a recent exceeds performance yearly evaluation and an exceeds Director recommendation letter. The application process opens every August and closes in October. Because each scholar is firmly embedded in patient care at Children’s of Alabama, their projects are highly relevant and useful to their co-workers and the patients they serve. Upon completion of the program, scholars are equipped to lead other quality improvement initiatives within Children’s of Alabama to facilitate the delivery of evidence-based care at the bedside.
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