Agile Mentorship: A Longitudinal Exploratory Analysis

Nursing science at Mayo Clinic: An alternative model to traditional hospital-based nurse scientist positions

The role of the Nurse Scientist in clinical settings represents a relatively new career path that has garnered attention in recent literature. Although there is considerable variability in how this role is operationalized across institutions, Mayo Clinic stands out as one of the few health systems in the United States employing nurse scientists who are fully and exclusively engaged in their own programs of research. Given the need for practical information to guide development and implementation of a research-focused nurse scientist role, the purpose of this paper is to describe the infrastructure and resources supporting Mayo Clinic nurse scientists, share role expectations and metrics for success, discuss both the facilitators of success and ongoing challenges, and compare our current practices to those found in the literature.

The methodology of the Agile Nudge University

Introduction

The Agile Nudge University is a National Institute on Aging-funded initiative to engineer a diverse, interdisciplinary network of scientists trained in Agile processes.

Methods

Members of the network are trained and mentored in rapid, iterative, and adaptive problem-solving techniques to develop, implement, and disseminate evidence-based nudges capable of addressing health disparities and improving the care of people living with Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias (ADRD).

Results

Each Agile Nudge University cohort completes a year-long online program, biweekly coaching and mentoring sessions, monthly group-based problem-solving sessions, and receives access to a five-day Bootcamp and the Agile Nudge Resource Library.

Discussion

The Agile Nudge University is evaluated through participant feedback, competency surveys, and tracking of the funding, research awards, and promotions of participating scholars. The Agile Nudge University is compounding national innovation efforts in overcoming the gaps in the ADRD discovery-to-delivery translational cycle.