Part III. Reenvisioning Undergraduate Nursing Students as Opinion Leaders to Diffuse Evidence-Based Practice in Clinical Settings

Rogers's claims about the importance of social networks to the diffusion of innovations are reviewed in light of efforts to promote evidence-based practice (EBP) among nursing students and practicing nurses. We argue that nursing educators can take more deliberate advantage of the essentially social nature of the diffusion process by devising opportunities for nursing students to form meaningful social interactions with practicing nurses. We recommend curricular reforms that reenvision undergraduate nursing students as opinion leaders throughout the curriculum. Rogers's theory predicts that such ongoing interactions between nursing students and practicing nurses will better integrate EBP among both populations.

Index words: Rogers's diffusion theory, Undergraduate students, Research into practice, Opinion leaders, Academic-practice partnerships