Aim: To describe clinical nurses' experiences with practice change associated with participation in a multi‐site nursing translational research study implementing new protocols for hospital discharge readiness assessment. Background: Nurses' participation in translational research studies provides an opportunity to evaluate how implementation of new nursing interventions affects care processes within a local context. These insights can provide information that leads to successful adoption and sustainability of the intervention. Methods: Semi‐structured focus groups from 30 of 33 participating study hospitals lead by team nurse researchers. Results: Nurses reported improved and earlier awareness of patients' discharge needs, changes in discharge practices, greater patient/family involvement in discharge, synergy and enhanced discharge processes, and implementation challenges. Participating nurses related the benefits of participation in nursing research. Conclusion: Participation in a unit‐level translational research project was a successful strategy for engaging nurses in practice change to improve hospital discharge. Implications for Nursing Management: Leading unit‐based implementation of a structured discharge readiness assessment including nurse assessment and patient self‐assessment encourages earlier awareness of patients' discharge needs, improved patient assessment and greater patient/family involvement in discharge preparation. Integrating discharge readiness assessments into existing discharge care promotes communication between health team members that facilitates a timely, coordinated discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]