Design, implementation, and evaluation of an educational program for a new practice model.

Redesigning patient care delivery is vital to the quality of care delivered and has resulted in the development of new nursing practice models that use some form of "nurse extender." In this article, the authors describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of an educational program for a new nursing practice model at a medical center in the Southeast. The major focus of the educational program is the use of modules to train a new nontraditional nurse extender who works in partnership with an RN. The role of the partner in patient care was developed to expedite the provision of a variety of services at the bedside and to help the nurse deliver quality patient care. The training program consisted of five modules: fundamentals of nursing, selected respiratory therapy skills, selected physical therapy skills, electrocardiogram (EKG)/arrhythmia interpretation, and phlebotomy. A major factor in the success of the program was that it was carefully developed and evaluated to meet the needs of students and staff members. This program can serve as a model for other hospitals that plan to use nurse extenders.