After completing the education curriculum,
these Resource Nurses are responsible for 12-h of
peer-to-peer learning activities (see Table 1) serving
as a resource on their respective units for their
colleagues. These teaching hours are above and beyond
their work schedule and they are paid for their
time to serve in this role. Armed with evidence-supported
risk assessment and prevention strategies,
the Resource Nurses serve as consultants for skin related
concerns, recommending prevention and
treatment interventions when indicated. They also
devote 4 h per month doing clinical audits, assessing
for accuracy of Braden Risk Assessment and
timely implementation of appropriate interventions.
They also provide their unit colleagues with
bi-yearly educational offering on topics identified
by the Resource Nurses, such as appropriate use
of barrier ointments and fungal/yeast treatment
and correct staging of pressure ulcers. These sessions
are repeated several times on the unit, allowing
all staff to attend on a rotating basis and may
include power point lecture with interactive discussion,
hands on learning and demonstrations of various
products available for prevention and/or
treatment. Unit based peer-to peer education assists
the staff nurse to prioritize care and enhances
critical thinking skills when caring for at risk patients
(McKenna and French, 2011).