AONL Foundation Seeking Research on Professionalism: RFPs due Oct. 8, 2019

In this day and age, what does it mean for a nurse to be “professional?” Opinions abound, but very little research exists. This is about to change, thanks to a grant from Cherokee Uniforms parent company Strategic Partners, Inc. 

This grant, to the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Foundation, provides funding up to $16,000 for one or more studies on professionalism as it relates to nursing and nurse leadership. 

This may include research on the impact of professional appearance on patient safety and care quality, the role of the nurse leader in staff professionalism, and impacts of potential shifting views on nurse professionalism, appearance and demeanor on nursing staffing, clinician well-being and/or the healthcare value proposition. 

“Ideas of what’s considered ‘professional’ are changing,” says Robyn Begley, AONL Foundation president and chief executive officer, and CEO of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. “Visible tattoos, for example, are losing their stigma. Evidence shows more inclusive policies on appearance and demeanor can have positive impacts on employee satisfaction and retention. We want to find out what this means for nursing.”

The AONL Foundation expects the findings will guide policies that promote high quality care while optimizing nurse satisfaction and retention. They should help healthcare organizations identify evidence-based approaches for advancing nursing leadership and organizational culture, and produce solutions that improve quality and safety.

“Any number of decisions nurse leaders make on any day of the week can have ripple effects throughout the entire organization,” says Deb Zimmermann, AONL Foundation board chair. “This research should provide them with new evidence to make those decisions with rigor.”

The AONL Foundation is accepting submissions from teams led by current licensed RNs, and the deadline for submissions is October 8, 2019 at 3 pm CT. For details, or to apply, visit 

www.aonl.org/foundation/research/grants.

This post is sponsored by Strategic Partners, Inc. and Cherokee Uniforms