Supporting nursing faculty to teach veteran’s care: a mixed method, multi-intervention study

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to (a) describe nurse educators’ attitudes towards veterans after workshop participation, (b) evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop and timed digital interventions (TDI) on nurse educators’ integration of veteran-centered content into their courses and curricula, and (c) describe nurse educators’ experiences with transferring learning from the workshop to teaching practice. Methods A longitudinal multi-intervention, multi-method pilot study was conducted using pre- and post-workshop surveys and interviews. Results Twenty-six nurse faculty reported a neutral attitude toward working with veterans during the pre-workshop survey period. TDIs kept veteran-centered content fresh on faculty minds, yielding evidence of integration into nursing courses. Conclusions Nursing faculty preparation and development is crucial to effectively integrate specific veteran care content into nursing education to ensure a competent and culturally sensitive workforce. Integrating TDIs using widely accessible technologies is a cost-effective way of increasing engagement with new information and bridge implementation gaps associated with traditional professional development activities.