Nursing Research Certificate Program

This program offers a comprehensive introduction to nursing research concepts and methods. Evidence-based practice is emphasized throughout, with clear guidelines for evaluating research and applying scientific evidence to practice. Coverage includes qualitative and quantitative research, appraising and critiquing research, critical thinking, and clinical decision-making using research information.

Target Audience

This course is designed for nurses seeking to enhance their general knowledge about nursing research and evidence-based practice. Nurses seeking to join a clinical research committee or to pursue a position as research assistant can also benefit from this course.

Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:

1. Define research, nursing research, and evidence-based practice.
2. Describe the purposes of research in implementing an evidence-based practice.
3. Identify the common types of research—quantitative, qualitative, or outcomes—conducted to generate essential evidence for nursing practice.
4. Identify the levels of research evidence available to nurses for practice.
5. Describe the importance of evidence-based guidelines in implementing evidence-based practice.
6. Identify your role in research as a professional nurse.
7. Define terms relevant to the quantitative research process: basic research, applied research, rigor, and control.
8. Compare and contrast the problem-solving process, nursing process, and research process.
9. Identify the steps of the quantitative research process in descriptive, correlational, quasi-experimental, and experimental published studies.
10. Read research reports.
11. Identify the purposes of statistical analyses.
12. Describe the process of data analysis.
13. Differentiate probability theory from decision theory.
14. Describe the process of inferring from a sample to a population.
15. Discuss the distribution of the normal curve.
16. Compare and contrast Type I and Type II errors.
17. Identify descriptive analyses, such as frequency distributions, percentages, measures of central tendency, and measures of dispersion, conducted to describe the samples and study variables in research.
18. Describe the five types of results obtained from quasi-experimental and experimental studies that are interpreted within a decision theory framework.
19. Compare and contrast statistical significance from clinical importance of results.
20. Critically appraise statistical results, findings, conclusions, generalization of findings, nursing implications, and suggestions for further research in a study.
21. Describe the roles of nurses in critically appraising studies to determine the credibility of the findings.
22. Describe the four phases of critical appraisal for a quantitative study.
23. Conduct a critical appraisal of a quantitative research report.
24. Describe the guidelines for conducting critical appraisals of qualitative studies.
25. Conduct a critical appraisal of a qualitative research report.

Completion Requirements

In order to receive full contact-hour credit for this CNE activity, participants must:

• Be registered for this activity,
• Review the course material,
• Complete the course post-test and obtain a grade of 75% or higher,
• Complete and submit the course evaluation survey.
• Other requirements for some of the courses may also include participation discussion boards, practice exercises, practice questions, etc.

Conflict of Interest (or lack thereof) for Planners, Authors and Presenters

A conflict of interest exists if any individual/entity that is in a position to influence the content, design, or implementation of the CNE activity is ALSO in a position to benefit financially from the success of a CNE activity.

The planners, authors and presenters of this CNE activity have disclosed no conflict of interest including no relevant financial relationships with any commercial companies pertaining to this CNE activity.

Commercial/Sponsor Support

There is no commercial company or sponsor support for this CNE activity.

Non-Endorsement of Products

The National Healthcare Institute CNE provider approval status refers only to continuing nursing education activities and does not imply that there is a real or implied endorsement of any product, service, or company referred to in this activity nor of any company subsidizing costs related to the activity.

Off-Label Product Use

This CNE activity does not include any unannounced information about off-label use of a product for a purpose other than that for which it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).