Nursing Student Research Assistant Program: A strategy to enhance nursing research capacity building in a Magnet status pediatric hospital

The NS-RAP was designed in collaboration with area nursing schools to build research capacity at a pediatric hospital and undergraduate and graduate nursing students participated in a variety of research experiences that aided the conduct of clinician-initiated research at the pediatric hospital.

Abstract

For busy clinicians, time to conduct research is scarce. A novel solution, the Nursing Student Research Assistant Program (NS-RAP), was designed in collaboration with area nursing schools to build research capacity at a pediatric hospital. Undergraduate and graduate nursing students participated in a variety of research experiences that, in turn, aided the conduct of clinician-initiated research at the pediatric hospital. In this article, conceptualization, implementation, outcomes, challenges, and future directions of NS-RAP are discussed.