Creation of an asynchronous faculty development curriculum on well-written narrative assessments that avoid bias.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic in parallel with concerns about bias in grading resulted in many medical schools adopting pass/fail clinical grading and relying solely on narrative assessments. However, narratives often contain bias and lack specificity. The purpose of this project was to develop asynchronous faculty development to rapidly educate/re-educate > 2000 clinical faculty spread across geographic sites and clinical disciplines on components of a well-written narrative and methods to minimize bias in the assessment of students. METHODS: We describe creation, implementation, and pilot data outcomes for an asynchronous faculty development curriculum created by a committee of volunteer learners and faculty. After reviewing the literature on the presence and impact of bias in clinical rotations and ways to mitigate bias in written narrative assessments, the committee developed a web-based curriculum using multimedia learning theory and principles of adult learning. Just-in-time supplemental materials accompanied the curriculum. The Dean added completion of the module by 90% of clinical faculty to the department chairperson's annual education metric. Module completion was tracked in a learning management system, including time spent in the module and the answer to a single text entry question about intended changes in behavior. Thematic analysis of the text entry question with grounded theory and inductive processing was used to define themes of how faculty anticipate future teaching and assessment as a result of this curricula. OUTCOMES: Between January 1, 2021, and December 1, 2021, 2166 individuals completed the online module; 1820 spent between 5 and 90 min on the module, with a median time of 17 min and an average time of 20.2 min. 15/16 clinical departments achieved completion by 90% or more faculty. Major themes included: changing the wording of future narratives, changing content in future narratives, and focusing on efforts to change how faculty teach and lead teams, including efforts to minimize bias. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a faculty development curriculum on mitigating bias in written narratives with high rates of faculty participation. Inclusion of this module as part of the chair's education performance metric likely impacted participation. Nevertheless, time spent in the module suggests that faculty engaged with the material. Other institutions could easily adapt this curriculum with provided materials.

The Power of Two:: One Academic-Practice Partnership's Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Academic-practice partnerships are necessary for strengthening nursing practice, robust and relevant academic programs, and advancing health care. The purpose of this paper is to describe how a strong academic-practice partnership shaped our response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. During this unprecedented time, existing relationships between the health system and school of nursing were quickly leveraged to provide mutually beneficial relief, opportunities, and support. Initiatives described in this paper demonstrate how powerful a concentrated academic-practice partnership can be in transforming the nursing profession. Moving forward, it will be crucial for schools to build partnerships with appropriate organizations that have a vested interest in preparing nurses for the future.

Collaboration Between Infection Prevention and Clinical Education in Response to COVID-19.

With the rapid escalation of COVID-19 educational needs within hospitals, it was imperative for content experts of the infection prevention departments to lean on the expertise of nursing professional development specialists. This article provides a brief overview of how a clinical education and professional development department was deployed to assist and support the COVID-19 response efforts.

Elevating the Voice of Nursing Leadership: AONL's Virtual Advocacy Day.

As we began planning for AONL Advocacy Day during the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we expected record attendance at AONL's annual event in Washington, DC. What a great opportunity to raise the profile of nursing and increase legislators' understanding of nursing's impact in advancing health! Registration substantially outpaced all prior years. Then on January 21, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first United States case of the novel coronavirus that had already taken 6 lives in China,1 changing life in this country as we know it. As this pandemic changed the way we deliver care, it has also changed the way legislators interact with their constituents.