State-of-the-art patient care. The impact of doctorally prepared clinical nurses

Delivery of state-of-the-art patient care requires new models to foster the development of professional nurses and integrate practice, research, and education. The Chief Nursing Officer of University Hospital/Associate Dean of the College of Nursing at a tertiary health science center positioned doctorally prepared nurses in clinical practice settings to assist in actualizing a vision of state-of-the-art patient care. Strategic targets for performance improvement included building collaboration between the college and hospital, supporting advanced education for nurses, moving the nursing culture from one of co-dependence to one of professionalism, fostering research at the unit level, and capitalizing on the strengths of nurse leaders. Creating an environment where staff nurses use critical thinking skills and access their advanced practice nurse (APN) resources as they do their work has been a win-win-win situation for the patients, the hospital, and the college at the health science center.