This paper examines Boyer's scholarship of integration as a framework for nurse educators engaging in evidence-based, community-centered practice. Drawing on Conrad and Pape's analysis of nursing scholar roles and Maurana et al.'s community scholarship models, the paper connects interdisciplinary collaboration to real-world health challenges such as pediatric asthma, mental health stigma, and childhood obesity. The author reflects on personal and professional experience to argue that effective care requires treating the whole patient across biological, psychological, social, and cultural dimensions. The paper concludes by proposing a community campaign for childhood obesity prevention that integrates student learning through interprofessional collaboration and critical thinking activities.
Boyer's scholarship of integration "seeks to interpret, draw together, and bring new insight to a research study. It includes discovering patterns and making connections between nursing and other disciplines, which brings meaning to the original work. The actions of locating and using evidence-based practice guidelines are within the scholarship scope of integration" (Conrad & Pape, 2014). Conrad and Pape (2014) provide information on the current state of nurse educators, with knowledge that can be applied to a multidisciplinary approach to caring for pediatric asthma clients in a community setting. In contrast, Maurana, Wolff, Beck, and Simpson (2001) review four evidence-based models in order to document and evaluate activities that are both scholarly and applicable to communities. These authors propose a new model that can provide insight into the teaching and learning that comes with nursing education. Though it is an older article, it offers historical perspectives on community scholarship along with a new model for the time.
This model extends the definition of what makes up a local community so that it can create a national toolkit suited to the scope of integration that needs to be established. It provides an appreciation of the journey of the nurse educator and highlights how community context shapes professional practice.
Growing up in a rural Midwestern farming community, multidisciplinary collaboration and scholarship were basic necessities due to the lack of healthcare resources. The formal position of nurse educator was nonexistent at that time, and every nurse functioned as an educator in the only 45-bed hospital in the entire county. Each nurse was required to work in all areas, with an eye toward grassroots networking for innovative solutions.
As a psychiatric nurse, mental health is a vital community issue. The stigma and fear surrounding mental illness persist, even though there is considerably more education regarding it today. As nurse educators, we can each encourage nurses at all levels of practice to participate in NAMI's free training for healthcare professionals. That training helps nurses improve collaborative care on the client's path to recovery. Through exposure to personal stories, participants gain tools that increase their empathy and professional skills, which ultimately improves patient care.
"Whole-patient care across biological and social factors"
"Community campaign proposal and interprofessional student activities"
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