Examining a Media Competency Training Program for Doctoral Nursing Students.

Background: Despite playing an important role in patient care and advocacy, nurses are consistently underrepresented and quoted in <4% of health care media coverage. Media training may address this gap.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to develop, implement, and evaluate a media training program to assess whether, after program completion, nurses experience improvements in belief, understanding, confidence, and commitment toward media engagement.

Methods: A program was developed based on the 10 published media competencies for nurses and assessed using Kirkpatrick's evaluation model. A prospective pre-post observational study design was used.

Findings: Participants self-reported improvement in all measured categories. Paired t -tests showed statistical significance in understanding the media's benefit in promoting population health ( P = .026) and increased confidence in performing necessary media skills ( P = .0005).

Conclusion: Developing a media training program for nurses is a critical first step. The findings underscore the importance of equipping nurses with the skills and confidence necessary for impactful media engagement.