UMSON Launches New Certificate to Equip Nurses with Real-World Data and Research Skills

Baltimore, Md. - The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) is launching a new Real-World Data and Pragmatic Research (RWD-PR) Certificate in fall 2025. The 12-credit, fully online program is designed to equip nurses and health care leaders with the tools to drive meaningful, evidence-based improvements in care.

Health care is facing urgent challenges: rising costs, workforce shortages, and the growing demand for high-quality, efficient care delivery. Nurses — often at the forefront of patient care — need advanced skills to evaluate and improve systems using real-world evidence. Traditional research methods, while foundational, can fall short in fast-paced clinical settings. That’s where pragmatic research and real-world data come in.

Real-world data refers to data collected from routine health care practices and patient interactions, rather than from traditional clinical trials. This data comes from various sources like electronic health records (EHRs), insurance claims, patient-reported outcomes, and wearable devices. RWD provides insights into how therapies perform in real-world settings and can be used to complement clinical trials.

“Generating nursing knowledge is only the beginning,” said Eun-Shim Nahm, PhD ’03, RN, FAAN, FGSA, professor and associate dean for the PhD program. “Today’s nurse scientists and leaders must also be able to implement evidence and scale its impact. This certificate program empowers nurses to harness real-world data to drive meaningful, evidence-based change in individual and population health.”

In an ongoing Nurse Support Program II implementation project, funded by the Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, UMSON identified a need to increase student expertise in managing RWD from different sources and foster interprofessional student collaboration to understand the data and ensure plausibility and feasibility.

“Nurses are the most trusted professionals, and our patients count on us to be stewards of their data,” said Shannon Idzik, DNP '10, MS '03, CRNP, ANP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, professor and associate dean for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. “Every day, we generate real-world data through electronic medical records. Unlike controlled research settings, this data reflects the complexity of actual patient care. This certificate equips nurses with the skills to harness and apply this information to improve outcomes, advance equity, and lead in evidence-based practice.”

Open to BSN-prepared nurses, current Doctor of Nursing Practice and PhD students, and those considering a doctoral degree, the RWD-PR Certificate provides an innovative curriculum grounded in practical application. Participants will learn to distill and analyze real-world data to address real-time issues in patient care, safety, and system efficiency.

Through interactive online modules, biweekly virtual meetings, and a tailored, data-driven practicum, students will:

• identify real-world health care challenges and design pragmatic research or large-scale performance improvement/quality improvement projects
• extract, curate, and analyze RWD, such as those from electronic health records, using cutting-edge health care analytics tools
• apply design principles to visualize the data and use visualization techniques to support informed decision-making
• translate classroom knowledge into real-world practice through mentored, hands-on experience in the field.

Graduates of the RWD-PR Certificate program will leave with in-demand skills applicable in a wide range of health care roles — from bedside care to executive leadership. 

The RWD-PR Certificate offers a flexible path to clinical excellence and research innovation, ideal for nurse leaders aiming to improve organizational outcomes or students preparing for a doctoral program.

Students in the program will have the ability to:

• apply their learning in practice — especially valuable for senior practice nurses and health care administrators, including managers, directors, and executives
• enhance their job performance by leveraging data analysis, patient safety, and quality improvement skills to their fullest potential
• integrate the RWD-PR Certificate into a doctoral program — complete it through PhD elective courses or apply up to two certificate courses to DNP requirements, allowing one to graduate with both a doctoral degree and the RWD-PR Certificate.

Students in the program are eligible to apply for federal financial aid.

For additional information, visit nursing.umaryland.edu/realworlddata

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.