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Nursing Resource Centers Module
Maintaining and Strengthening Your NRC
Early on in the process, you will find that although it is important to provide a variety of resources, certain tools will be requested and used more frequently than others. To best focus your own efforts and funds, it is helpful to know what resources have proven most popular and useful at other centers. AIHA surveyed the NRCs and has compiled the following statistics:Equipment and Materials:
Equipment and materials usage percentages for NRCs across the regions are:
- Textbooks 31%
- Videos 19%
- Other 18%
- Anatomic Models 14%
- Computer 11%
- Internet 7%
Most of those surveyed had visited the NRC before. Of those surveyed 39 percent utilize the NRC more than once a week or once a week, 41 percent utilize it a few times a month or once a month, and 20 percent utilize a few times a year.
Commuting:
Most users come from the local area, but occasionally they will come from further away. In setting up your programs, you may want to focus primarily on the needs of local nurses while sometimes offering courses that nurses from the region can attend.
Hours of Operation:
Of the responses received, more than 75 percent stated that the NRC operational hours are convenient. Some offer regular business hours and are fully staffed, whereas others are available only by appointment and for classes.
Most Important Reason for Visiting the NRC:
From those surveyed, the library was the most important reason for visiting the NRC, with 25 percent of all respondents citing this reason. Other reasons included: workshops, trainings, meetings, other resources, and “other” all of which were between 11- 16 percent. As stated earlier, Internet usage as a primary reason for the visit ranked low, at just 7 percent.)
For more details regarding NRC usage, in particular comparisons between NRCs in Russia versus Central Europe, please click here.
Networking with Other NRCs
Networking with other organizations in your region that may also be setting up an NRC is something we highly encourage. Most established NRCs maintain some form of regular—although not necessarily frequent—contact with other NRCs in their region and benefit from this communication.
In addition, having a direct link to an established NRC could prove invaluable as you set up and maintain your NRC, therefore we are providing a link to our Directory of NRCs.
Keep in mind that, just like you, professionals at other NRCs have limited time and resources. However, many of them may be willing to answer an individual question or provide more information about their successes and challenges.
