Evidence-Based Practice

Professional development specialists can gain both increased knowledge and new tools by examining recent evidence on a targeted issue such as orientation. Trends to note from this review are the increased focus on graduate nurse orientation, the use of stages or tiered orientations to better match the needs of the nurse being oriented, and an increase in the number of articles presenting metrics and outcomes, all positive developments for the field. Several articles that reported the development of checklists or rubrics for measuring orientation outcomes could provide excellent opportunities for further study as multisite practice-based evidence, comparative effectiveness projects (Horn & Gassaway, 2007). Nursing orientation lends itself to the use of this methodology, which could use criterion-based items to standardize orientation tools, thus gaining validity and reliability for the instructional techniques that professional development specialists use in their institutions. This type of research would provide significant advancement for the specialty of professional development. Another avenue to advance the field would be for professional development specialists to use the Best Practices National Nursing Staff Development Organization Web site to share orientation innovations. All of us in the specialty are eager for fresh ideas that could lead to further validation through expert opinion, so taking the time to write an article for publication or submitting your information on the Web site are ways to continually improve and advance professional development practice. Copyright © 2011 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.