Project: In lieu of research, DNP program students may complete a program development project. Motivated by published research studies indicating that nurses are only quoted between 2% and 4% of the time in health-related media content, Malloy created a training program to help nurses understand the uses and benefits of media engagement and develop media competency skills to advocate for patients through media. Malloy, who entered the DNP program more than 20 years after starting her nursing career, also used the training program, first created with a focus on neuroscience nursing, to create a four-week course focused on general nursing that she teaches within the DNP program. As an alumna, she is now putting her ideas into practice across the nursing profession.
Malloy says: “It’s been a game-changer for me because, as they work in the most trusted profession, nurses have an opportunity to impact population health through media engagement, but we have to know how to do it the right way. I think a lot of nurses are scared and hesitant to be involved in the media. By having media training in that context and learning how to slowly put yourself out there, I think we’re going to make an impact not only in having nurses quoted in health stories but on patients’ lives.
“As soon as I started talking to people, I realized that this is a hot topic. Nurses are looking for ways to have their voices heard on a larger scale, and media training is missing from nursing associations, organizations and academia. I talked to the people at Wake Forest about bringing this in as part of the DNP curriculum, and they were very enthusiastic about it. I quickly changed the program to make it work for general nursing. The examples are things that all nurses would have some kind of connection to, not just a neuroscience nurse.
“The students interview each other and create a public service announcement using those skills they learned through the training program. We’ve collected some pre- and post-evaluations of how the students felt about media or what they knew about media before and after they took the course to get an idea of the efficacy, and we’re hoping to get that published later this year.”
Tinisha Lambeth, DNP, NNP, BC, program director and assistant professor, says: “Rachel first identified a gap in nursing practice. Most nurses are not trained in how to speak with the media. She used published evidence to create a training program to address this gap. Rachel’s project was successful due its relevance to nursing practice, clear objectives, effective communication and support from her professional organization and project adviser, Amy Bell, DNP, RNC-OB, NEA-BC, CPHQ. The DNP program immediately recognized the value of training nursing leaders to speak effectively with the media and incorporated it into our curriculum. Our graduates will be well-prepared to communicate effectively with the media.”