Media contact: Alicia Rohan
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Nursing has taken an oyster of an idea and turned it into a pearl.
A Clinical Pearl, to be exact.
Since the school posted its first “Clinical Pearls” episode on its UAB Nursing Network YouTube channel less than a year ago, the series — initially created to share the school’s faculty expertise and educational resources with other nurses and health care providers — has been watched in almost all 50 states and 20 countries.
“We want to reach nurses at UAB, around the state and even around the world — anyone who has an internet connection can view these educational offerings,” said Jacqueline Moss, Ph.D., associate dean for Technology and Innovation at the UAB School of Nursing.
On the Nursing Network, “Clinical Pearls” covers a variety of topics, such as dementia, heart failure, opioids and diabetes, with the respective School of Nursing experts in a talk show format. After a few months, it became apparent that “Clinical Pearls” was reaching more individuals than nurses. Moss and Nancy Wingo, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the school, observed patients and caregivers also tuning into the show.
“The videos weren’t originally targeted for that audience, but this series can be very helpful to these people as well as the average nurse,” Wingo said. “As an example, we’ve had the Alzheimer’s Reading Room in Birmingham watch our dementia video as a group. Now, when we have certain topics, we might make sure that groups that would be interested are aware of the broadcast.”
Another important aspect of “Clinical Pearls” is that it is a live show, distinguishing it from produced educational videos. During the initial stream, visitors have the ability to ask questions and live-chat with the host or guest expert.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to interview people within the School of Nursing who are qualified to talk about a variety of issues,” said Caroline Cartledge, MSN, R.N., nurse instructor at the UAB School of Nursing and host of “Clinical Pearls’” second season. “Disseminating information to the general public free is why we do what we do as health care providers and educators. We want to improve the health of our population and educate the public how to be healthier and safer.”
“Clinical Pearls” is freely available online. The School of Nursing also offers Continuing Education Credits (CEC) to viewers for $5 with each “Clinical Pearls” video.
While “Clinical Pearls” begins its second season, another series — “Nursing Pathways” — is slated to be added to Nursing Network in 2019. “Nursing Pathways” will interview nurses in different roles, such as researchers, entrepreneurs and clinicians, and the various pathways nurses can take in their careers.
“In addition to nurses at UAB, we also hope to interview nurses in the community and visiting faculty or people on campus for lectures,” Moss said.
The next episode will air Friday, April 5, at 12 p.m. CDT. The topic is the effects of obstructive sleep apnea in workers. For more information or the full episode guide of “Clinical Pearls,” visit the School of Nursing’s website.