Academic writing retreats for nurses and allied health professionals: developing engagement, dissemination and collaboration opportunities.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 raised the profile of nursing globally, with widespread recognition of nurses' valuable roles during the pandemic. There is a unique opportunity to capitalise on this momentum to support nurses to become more engaged in and disseminate their research widely. One way to enable this is to develop academic writing retreats for nurses. AIM: To report on the development of academic writing retreats to engage nurses in research. DISCUSSION: Four writing retreats were set up in the south of England between September 2019 and April 2021. Two were delivered face to face on hospital premises and two online. The retreats provided uninterrupted time for writing an academic publication, mentorship, peer support networks, and question and answer sessions. The retreats were attended by 42 health professionals, with more than 25 papers published in peer-reviewed journals. The retreats have enabled learning communities to develop, fostering long-term networking opportunities. CONCLUSION: Academic writing retreats for nurses have widespread benefits, providing nurses with uninterrupted time and space to focus on writing high-quality publications and creating networking opportunities through peer support and mentorship channels. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Academic writing retreats are a simple, yet effective way to get nurses to engage in research by writing about their own spheres of practice.