1. Connecting Congregations: Access to Online Health Information for Parish Nurses in Virginia Kelly Near, MSN, RNC, MLS, and Bart Ragon, MLIS, Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, University of Virginia Lisa Zerull, MS, RN, Doctoral Student, and Sarah Farrell, PhD, APRN, BC, University of Virginia School of Nursing Sample Five Caucasian women (n=5) with a mean age of 58.2 (41 - 65, SD=10.035). All were registered nurses and served as parish nurses in their respective congregations an average of 3.9 years (1 - 7.5, SD 2.434). Four had completed a basic parish nurse preparation (80%), and represented a variety of denominations: two Methodists, one Baptist, one Roman Catholic and one Non-Denominational. At the beginning of the study, three parish nurses reported their technology skill level to be beginners (60%) and two reported an intermediate skill level (40%). This descriptive pilot study evaluated how the provision of communication technology and health resource information education impacted the practice of parish nurses. Nurses selected for the project received laptop computers, printers, projectors and a webcam. All had or were provided with high-speed Internet access. Methodology Participants were chosen from a survey of 50 practicing parish nurses. Nurses attended two, 6-hour sessions at the library that incorporated communication technologies training (use of PowerPoint, listservs, chat software, and video cameras), and training in accessing and using quality health information resources such as MedlinePlus. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a 12 question, pre/post project survey that assessed nurses information technology practices using a 4-point Likert-style scale. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results Qualitative analysis of interviews confirmed that participants found the project to be beneficial in terms of awareness, education, and applicability of technology use in parish nurse practice. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was used to analyze quantitative data from the surveys. Nine of the twelve variables were found to have significant differences (p<.05) from pre versus post survey of technology use and application. Conclusion All participants stated that the knowledge gained from this study has greatly influenced their parish nursing practice, and they have confidence in using the technology. With new technology available to them, the parish nurses now possess the knowledge to use the hardware and software applications, and how to identify helpful web-based resources for parishioners. Many have begun to teach parishioners how to find resource information on the Internet. All participants valued education days and requested ongoing continuing education. Online discussion, email and webcam were said to be helpful tools to remain connected with other parish nurses and for resource sharing. The overwhelming consensus was to repeat the technology education and interventions from this study with a larger group of parish nurses. All stated their interest in serving as resources to other parish nurses. Funded by the National Library of Medicine under a contract (#NO1-LM-1- 3522) with the University of Maryland, Baltimore.