Promoting Evidence-Based Practice and Information Literacy through an Undergraduate Nursing Journal Club

Abstract

In order to strengthen the evidence-based practice and information literacy curriculum in the Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) program, a nursing instructor and reference librarian collaborated to pilot an undergraduate nursing journal club as part of a nursing research course. Pre- and post-test surveys were administered to a cohort of pre-licensure students in their third year of study, who were enrolled in the course. Non-generalizable survey results showed that after students participated in several journal club sessions, they were more confident in their ability to locate and critique research. However, the students’ reading behaviors, workforce preparedness, and familiarity with research related to their clinical areas did not seem to improve at the conclusion of the activity. Additional research is necessary to determine what effect journal clubs have on student learning in the undergraduate nursing classroom.