Embedded, engaged, evolving: A consortium of nurse researchers and clinicians

• Published in: Nursing outlook Vol. 55; no. 2; pp. 79 - 84
• Main Authors: Dluhy, Nancy, Christopher, Kimberly, Gramling, Kathryn, Leffers, Jeanne, Russell, Gail E., Sethares, Kristen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mosby, Inc 01.03.2007; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Chronic Disease - nursing; Chronic illnesses; Clinical Competence; Communication; Cooperative Behavior; Diffusion of Innovation; Educational partnerships; Health education; Hospitals; Humans; Interinstitutional Relations; Interprofessional Relations; Knowledge; Massachusetts; Medical schools; Models, Nursing; Models, Organizational; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing Research - organization & administration; Nursing Staff - organization & administration; Nursing Staff - psychology; Organizational Objectives; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Patient-Centered Care - organization & administration; Research Personnel - organization & administration; Research Personnel - psychology; Total Quality Management - organization & administration; Massachusetts
• ISSN: 0029-6554; 1528-3968
• DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2007.01.001

This article describes the journey of an innovative partnership among nurse researchers and nurse clinicians. The Chronic Illness Consortium (CIC) is an academic-service partnership between a university and its neighbors in a region without an academic medical center. It began with a small group of nurse researchers seeking a strategy to maximize research output and knowledge development and has evolved over 6 years into a forum that bridges scholars and clinicians, specialists and generalists, current and former students. The CIC engages in the scholarship of discovery, integration, application, and teaching, 1 and seeks to radically reform the way nursing and health care in general is delivered to people living with chronic illness. Finally, it is evolving as both knowledge development and practice address the demands of an increasingly large and complex patient population. As with any journey, many opportunities and lessons were learned. More importantly, there are implications for nursing knowledge development and application. Each of these areas is addressed.