Researching Quality, Safety
Grant funds Djukic’s quality/safety education study
(November 6, 2020) A new grant will enable Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Associate ProfessorMaja Djukic, PhD, RN, FAAN, to analyze national data to identify gaps in quality and safety education among nurses.
The $50,000 award is provided byPARTNERS(Providing Advancement Resources To Nursing Education, Research and Students) and the nursing school. It will fund a study titledExamining disparities in quality and safety education associated with a nursing degree type: A secondary analysis of the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses.
Dr. Djukic is building on similar research she conducted previously using regional data. Her team will now study national data related to registered nurses who were licensed to practice in 2016 or later with an eye on identifying any differences in quality and safety education based on degree type. The study will produce up-to-date evidence needed to inform nursing education and regulatory policies, such as baccalaureate entry into practice.
“Currently, half of the nurses who enter practice have associate degrees. My prior research has shown that these nurses are less well prepared in quality and safety competencies such as evidence-based practice, compared to their bachelor’s prepared counterparts,” Djukic explained.
“In this study, I will identify where the gaps are in the newest graduates and what personal and organizational characteristics are related to those gaps. This will enable nursing schools and transition-to-practice programs to focus their improvement efforts on particular quality and safety competencies to close the gaps in educational preparedness and create a nursing workforce where all nurses are equally well prepared to provide high-quality and safe patient care,” Djukic said.
Dr. Djukic was recently named theJohn P. McGovern Distinguished Professor in Nursing. She joined Cizik School of Nursing from the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing in September 2020.
The PARTNERS organization supports Cizik School of Nursing by raising funds for student scholarships and faculty research.
Sherri Deatherage Green
