Presentation
AN Innovative Educational Program to Expand the Roles of Pre-Licensure Students and Registered Nurses in Primary Care Settings
Virginia League for Nursing
(2022)
Abstract
Learning Objectives (2-3)
- Describe an innovative approach to primary care nursing experiences in prelicensure nursing programs in alignment with the 2021 AACN Essentials.
- Identify barriers and facilitators for primary care didactic and clinical educational strategies.
- Explore methods to build strong academic-clinical partnerships that support building workforce capacity in primary care settings consistent with the 2021 Future of Nursing Report.
Problem/Purpose:
The current emphasis in health professions education on sickness care is unsustainable, and must be balanced with efforts to support healthy living, improved care transitions, a patient-centered focus, and improved integration of care (Lipstein et al., 2016). These are also the tenets of community-based primary care and are essential for all healthcare team members. Historically, nursing and nursing education had foundations in community settings, although at present, it is focused on acute care, and the vast majority of new nurses seek employment in hospitals (Kovner et al., 2014). There are many barriers for nurses to begin a career in community-based settings, a major one being that they are not exposed or prepared in their educational programs.
Background:
Our HRSA-funded project (2018-2022), Primary care Improved Outcomes with Nurses in Expanding and Evolving Roles (PIONEER), incorporates innovative strategies to enhance primary care nursing education for undergraduate students working with medically underserved populations in urban communities.
Strategies/Methods:
The PIONEER project recruits students through a combination of two 1-week intensive summer Primary Care Camps and financial support. Camps provide didactic content on primary care nursing (chronic disease management, community needs assessment, care coordination, motivational interviewing, implicit bias, etc.). PIONEER students complete their senior capstone course in community-based primary care settings.
A full-time Academic/Partnership Liaison (APL) is dedicated to facilitate the clinical experiences, working closely with students, preceptors, and faculty to ensure that students receive robust clinical experiences that align with course objectives and required RN competencies.
Best Practice Recommendations:
- Build and sustain collaborative community partnerships to provide clinical experiences for students and foster full scope of practice for existing RNs in primary care.
- Provide relevant and necessary didactic content for students, providing foundational knowledge for community-based nursing and primary care skills.
- Continue to explore innovative strategies for reducing health inequities.
References:
Kovner, C.T., Brewer, C. S., Fatehi, F., & Katigbak, C. (2014). Changing trends in newly
licensed RNs. American Journal of Nursing, 114(2), 26-35. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000443767.20011.7f
Lipstein, S. H., Kellerman, A. L., Berkowitz, B., Phillips, R., Sklar, D., Steele, G. D., &
Thibault, G. E. (2016). Workforce for the 21st century health and health care: A vital direction for health and health care. Retrieved from National Academy of Medicine website: http://www.nam.edu/VitalDirections
Keywords
- nursing,
- nursing education,
- primary care,
- innovative models
Disciplines
Publication Date
Spring April 23, 2022
Location
Harrisonburg, VA
Citation Information
Hallel Basco, Kimberly Davis, Tamara Zurakowski, Dawn Goldstein, et al.. "AN Innovative Educational Program to Expand the Roles of Pre-Licensure Students and Registered Nurses in Primary Care Settings" Virginia League for Nursing (2022) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/tamara-zurakowski/2/