Not another essay! Transforming assessment in an evidence-based practice nursing unit

Evidence-based practice (EBP) requires the provision of care that will deliver the best possible patient outcomes, reduce practice variation and be consistent regardless of the clinician, hospital or geographical location. Learning how to apply the complex skills of EBP is therefore considered essential, so that health professionals can base their clinical decision-making on up-to-date and best evidence. This paper explores some of the issues associated with the first iteration of an introductory core EBP subject (unit) for third year undergraduate nursing students at an Australian University in 2007. Specifically, it focuses on the provision of an innovative assessment task for a diverse student cohort. The task was ‘not another essay’, but a submission for clinical practice change to a hypothetical Director of Nursing. This allowed students to apply their EBP skills in an authentic way related to their future professional practice. Various sources of evaluation data revealed that these students needed more scaffolding than had been provided, notably more explicit teaching and practice in how to apply EBP skills.