Nurse engagement in clinical inquiry is a key component of shared governance,1,2  professional development,3  and Magnet redesignation.4  Recent literature highlights the benefits of participation in clinical inquiry as fostering nurses’ leadership skills, autonomy, and decision-making skills, which in turn improve professional practice environments and patient care outcomes.5  At the same time, registered nurses (RNs) reportedly have low preparedness, knowledge, skills, and competence to undertake research and quality improvement (QI).6  In addition, the availability of nurse scientists to support RN research and QI project teams is limited; across the United States, less than 15% of hospitals employ nurse scientists who have dedicated time to support RN research teams.7,8  As a result, at the outset of clinical inquiry initiatives, nurses face a number of concerns and obstacles—not least of which is project design.

An ongoing challenge for clinical inquiry in health system...

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