An academic practice partnership: Building capacity to meet sexual health education policy requirements of a public school system

The purpose of this clinical concepts paper is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a formal academic‐practice partnership between a large, urban, public school system and a college of nursing, based on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Guiding Principles to Academic‐Practice Partnerships. The overarching goal of the partnership was to increase the school district's capacity to meet sexual health education policy requirements while providing graduate nursing students with an opportunity to work with a diverse population of youth during a public health nursing practicum course. As a result of the partnership, over 2,000 public school students (grades 5–12) have received comprehensive sexual health education and increased their knowledge by an average of 19.7–32.7%. In addition, 79 prelicensure, graduate nursing students have been placed at the public school system for public health nursing practicum and 100% have met all clinical objectives. As with any partnership, successes and lessons learned were identified. Discussion of both is included in this paper and may benefit other organizations considering entering into similar partnerships. Ultimately, academic‐practice partnerships are an important mechanism to simultaneously meet the growing needs of community practice partners and nursing education programs, while strengthening public health nursing practice.     

Alternative Clinical Experience Through Academic Service-Learning Develops Into a Partnership for Mental Health Rotation

In an effort to secure alternate clinical experiences, decrease stigma and encourage interest in the field of mental health nursing, an academic service-learning project was launched. This endeavor consisted of an alliance between an associate degree nursing program and a community clubhouse. This affiliation evolved into a growing partnership yielding multiple benefits for both nursing students and the community partner.     

Academic microsystems: adapting Clinical Microsystems as an evaluation framework for community-based nursing education

When an academic nursing program and clinical agency form a partnership to both educate students and effect changes in the health care of the community, evaluation presents a challenge for measuring structure, processes, and outcomes at three levels: student educational processes and outcomes; student-sensitive outcomes for the community; and the effectiveness of the partnership itself. This article describes how we adapted the Clinical Microsystems model as an Academic Microsystems model to evaluate the complementary processes and outcomes for the community and for the nursing program in a senior Community Capstone course. The Capstone is a community-based initiative in which students assess community needs, intervene appropriately, evaluate their intervention, and pass the initiative on to the next year's class. Although outcomes for students and the community were positive, the model revealed that developing the frontline microsystem of student/faculty/community nurse mentor was the key to success.     

Supporting Breast‐feeding When a Woman Is Homeless

PURPOSE. This case study demonstrates use of standardized nursing languages in the care of new mothers in community settings. DATA SOURCES. The author collected data from clinical practice as an instructor in a baccalaureate nursing program and from the research literature. DATA SYNTHESIS. The appropriate nursing diagnoses, outcomes, and interventions were identified in partnership with the new mother. CONCLUSIONS. This case shows that NANDA International (NANDA‐I), the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC), and the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) are useful to direct nursing care in community settings. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING. When teaching nursing students in a baccalaureate program, nurse faculty can use NANDA‐I, NOC, and NIC classifications to guide the growing practice of nursing students in community settings.     

Planning and implementing a practice/academic partnership during COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing programs were challenged to continue educating students at practice sites, and educational institutions limited or eliminated face-to-face education. The purpose of this article is to report on a university and community college nursing program and an academic medical center that implemented an academic-practice partnership with the goal of creating opportunities to continue clinical experiences for nursing students during the pandemic. Principles and implementation of this successful partnership provide direction for other nursing programs and practice settings that may continue to have challenges in returning students to clinical and keeping them in clinical as the pandemic continues.     

Mothers' experiences in the nurse-family partnership program: a qualitative case study

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Few studies have explored the experiences of low income mothers participating in nurse home visiting programs. Our study explores and describes mothers' experiences participating in the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) Program, an intensive home visiting program with demonstrated effectiveness, from the time of program entry before 29 weeks gestation until their infant's first birthday. METHODS: A qualitative case study approach was implemented. A purposeful sample of 18 low income, young first time mothers participating in a pilot study of the NFP program in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada partook in one to two face to face in-depth interviews exploring their experiences in the program. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Conventional content analysis procedures were used to analyze all interviews. Data collection and initial analysis were implemented concurrently. RESULTS: The mothers participating in the NFP program were very positive about their experiences in the program. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: 1. Getting into the NFP program; 2. The NFP nurse is an expert, but also like a friend providing support; and 3. Participating in the NFP program is making me a better parent. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide vital information to home visiting nurses and to planners of home visiting programs about mothers' perspectives on what is important to them in their relationships with their nurses, how nurses and women are able to develop positive therapeutic relationships, and how nurses respond to mothers' unique life situations while home visiting within the NFP Program. In addition our findings offer insights into why and under what circumstances low income mothers will engage in nurse home visiting and how they expect to benefit from their participation.     

Autonomy of the volunteer sector in the evaluation of public health programs: an exploration from the perspective of an HIV/AIDS coalition

As recommended in the Ottawa Charter, Canadian government agencies are counting on the involvement of grassroots organizations to implement federal public health programs at the local level. At issue is the forced acceptance by community organizations of the predefined role of suppliers of services. Because of the top-down issues of health promotion practice, the problem is crucial for public health nursing.The author uses reflexive analysis, grounded in the internal colonization framework, to explore the case of a Canadian public health program and its relations with a provincial coalition of volunteer organizations working on AIDS issues. Implementing the Ottawa Charter highlights the challenges of the meanings and actions inherent in the notion of partnership between public agencies and community organizations of volunteers. Participation suggests more democratic and egalitarian social organizations, with hierarchical structures in a broader image of a modern society.     

Start out: building healthcare careers for minority teenagers

BACKGROUND: The healthcare industry is currently experiencing a severe shortage of nurses and other allied healthcare professionals. To compound this crisis, the current workforce does not mirror the growing linguistic and cultural diversity of the population needing health care. This article describes a community partnership approach to creating educational and career opportunities in nursing and other health sciences for young, multicultural, bilingual teenagers. METHOD: Several community organizations joined together to design and implement an 8-week summer program entitled "Start Out," which served to integrate life planning, mentorship, nursing assistant training, and college application assistance while providing summer salary stipends and work scholarship opportunities. Twenty-seven students participated in the program. RESULTS: Twenty-four bilingual, economically disadvantaged teenagers 16 to 19 years old, from the greater Seattle metropolitan area, completed the first session of this innovative program and passed the certified nursing assistant examination. CONCLUSION: Culturally focused assistance programs may provide an avenue to meet the current nursing shortage and provide healthcare workers who can be sensitive to the cultural and linguistic needs of the growing ethnic population.     

Friends of nursing: a community of caring to promote excellence in nursing practice, education, and research

More than 25 years ago, the name "Friends of Nursing" was adopted by an academic, community Magnet(?) hospital to signify a model for community support of nursing. From inception, the intent was to recruit philanthropic dollars to promote recognition of and excellence in nursing practice, education, and research. Although philanthropy in health care settings is common, what is unique about this program is the long-standing, dedicated conceptual framework for nursing philanthropy and the very significant number of philanthropic dollars from literally thousands of donors to support a diverse range of activities to affect and advance the professional excellence of nurses and the quality of patient care. This model has been successfully replicated within a wide variety of other health care organizations and nursing services throughout the United States and abroad.     

Health promotion and partnerships: collaboration of a community health management center,county health bureau,and university nursing program

Effective partnerships were established between a community health management center, a county health bureau and a university nursing program. A health fair was undertaken to heighten public health awareness through the collaboration of these various agencies. In this research, formative, process, and summative evaluations were conducted to determine the benefits of partnerships. Elements evaluated included the planning process, health fair relevancy, integration of community resources, participants satisfaction and knowledge acquisition, and partnership satisfaction. The samples of this study included (1) 529 adult participants who completed the on-site evaluation questionnaires; (2) 1,090 child participants who returned gift-reward cards; (3) 114 partners who gave written feedback on their satisfaction; and (4) 57 third-year and 16 fourth-year undergraduate nursing student participants. Data was collected from the evidence report of the Department of Health, the project proposal, activity protocols, meeting records, the project final report, students term papers, and questionnaires. The chief administrator of the County Health Bureau was very impressed with the creative exhibits in the fair and, therefore, invited a coalition to continue further workshops. Seventeen educational exhibits, two dance programs and two drama programs related to health issues were demonstrated in the fair. Resources from community organizations were successfully integrated and allocated. Community participants expressed satisfaction with the fair and anticipated similar activities in the future. Participants revealed more than 80% accuracy in health knowledge quizzes. The senior nursing students highlighted their interaction with the community, community health nurses, and health volunteers. Community-based health promotion and nursing education can be successfully connected when various disciplines and sectors form effective partnerships.     

Education-service partnership to promote best practices in a latent tuberculosis infection program

The education-service partnership described addresses the challenges presented to local health departments and public health nurses in completing required latent tuberculosis (LTBI) follow-up in population groups. A service learning partnership between the local health department and a Midwestern university school of nursing resulted in the development of an LTBI follow-up program that completed contacts with 193 subjects. Populations served by the program included immigrants to the community and workers from several occupational settings. Outcome data from the project included recommendations for the management of the information database for local health department LTBI follow-up. Nursing students gained an appreciation for the complexities involved in TB surveillance, and improved their cultural competence in the interface with Latino, African, and East European immigrant populations. Students gained first-hand experience with the current health care system, which resulted in communication challenges between health care providers and economic barriers in compliance with the CDC protocol for LTBI follow-up. The program demonstrated a successful partnership between service and education with positive results for the LTBI clients and the local health department nurses.     

Establishing partnerships with social services agencies for community health education

Nursing education is currently faced with many changes in both the academic and clinical environments. A significant challenge is to provide students with meaningful clinical placements. Experiences in clinical placements allow students to test assessment, critical thinking, communication, and decision-making skills in real and culturally diverse world situations. Nursing faculties need to develop new and innovative approaches for students to gain the necessary clinical experience. This article describes a community health clinical placement designed and implemented through a partnership of academic and social service organizations. It details the conception, growth, and development of student nursing clinics based in elderly and disabled housing sites.     

Patients in 24-hour home care striving for control and safety

Background

Few studies have explored the experiences of low income mothers participating in nurse home visiting programs. Our study explores and describes mothers' experiences participating in the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) Program, an intensive home visiting program with demonstrated effectiveness, from the time of program entry before 29 weeks gestation until their infant's first birthday.

Methods

A qualitative case study approach was implemented. A purposeful sample of 18 low income, young first time mothers participating in a pilot study of the NFP program in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada partook in one to two face to face in-depth interviews exploring their experiences in the program. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Conventional content analysis procedures were used to analyze all interviews. Data collection and initial analysis were implemented concurrently.

Results

The mothers participating in the NFP program were very positive about their experiences in the program. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: 1. Getting into the NFP program; 2. The NFP nurse is an expert, but also like a friend providing support; and 3. Participating in the NFP program is making me a better parent.

Conclusions

Our findings provide vital information to home visiting nurses and to planners of home visiting programs about mothers' perspectives on what is important to them in their relationships with their nurses, how nurses and women are able to develop positive therapeutic relationships, and how nurses respond to mothers' unique life situations while home visiting within the NFP Program. In addition our findings offer insights into why and under what circumstances low income mothers will engage in nurse home visiting and how they expect to benefit from their participation.     

Development of a community outreach project: An interprofessional partnership for thalassemia families guided by nursing students

Children with chronic illnesses have improved physiological and psychosocial outcomes when they are able to identify and converse with others who experience the same challenges. Support groups are one way to enhance this interaction. To facilitate this process, student nurses worked with an interprofessional healthcare team, thalassemia patients, and their families to determine their support needs. The purpose of this article is to describe the innovative development and outcomes of the Thalassemia Patient Support Project, a community engagement partnership. This partnership provided a unique educational clinical experience for nursing students where they had an opportunity to help develop a support group and a pediatric to adult transitional care program. The outcomes could be used as a guide for community nursing education, in US and international settings.     

The meaning of public health nursing: creating 24 hour care in a community in Japan

Abstract This case study describes the strategies and activities of public health nurses to increase the availability of services in a municipality of 36 000 and to transform community attitudes so that those needing services would feel free to use them. Strategies and activities are seen in the context of Japan, Minakuchi Town and the leadership of the chief public health nurse. Practicing in partnership with members of the community, strategies of public health nurses include technical activities (conducting needs assessment and framing program alternatives) and information sharing and health education (e.g. 75 meetings organized with health promoters for residents in the districts of the town). On the basis of the results of Minakuchi Town, viewed as an example of expert public health nursing practice, a general model for public health nursing practice is presented.     

Global citizens,healthy communities: Integrating the sustainable development goals into the nursing curriculum

BackgroundIntegrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the nursing curriculum is an ethical response and facilitator developing students into global citizens. Nurse educators can promote global citizenship through the concept of “glocal” experiences in local communities as students work in partnership with communities to address social determinants of health and begin to achieve SDG targets.PurposeThis paper explores the process of integrating the SDGs into the nursing curriculum emphasizing the strategic vision of international agencies and national nursing organizations.DiscussionDistinct pedagogical and clinical approaches for implementing SDG content into the curriculum are provided including an exploration of global health competencies and their relationship to the SDGs. Finally, an academic-community partnership is described as a clinical exemplar to strengthen the health of communities and begin realizing the SDGs at a local level.     

Eleven years of primary health care delivery in an academic nursing center.

Academic community nursing centers (CNCs) emphasize partnership with the communities they serve to provide access to services that promote, restore, and maintain health. In this study, selected data from an 11-year clinical data set are presented to show the scope of academic CNC nursing practice, describe client services and expanded nursing roles, show the use of a computerized clinical documentation system in tracking nursing practice, and assess the usefulness of the Lundeen conceptual model. The study design was a retrospective review of computerized client record data. The setting was a CNC located in the neighborhood center of a large federally subsidized housing development. The sample was 25,495 client visits to the CNC. Visit data were coded and entered into a relational data management program to facilitate analysis. Findings show an expansion over time of nursing practice and client services that include strong case management and management of illness care. Findings also suggest that a computerized clinical documentation system that specifically tracks nursing practice is vital if nurses are to identify and eventually be reimbursed for client care specific to nursing practice. Finally, the Lundeen conceptual model was shown to be useful across the continuum of care provided at CNCs.     

Effects of a Community Health Nursing Parent-Baby (Ad) Venture Program on Depression and Other Selected Maternal-Child Health Outcomes

Abstract This pilot study measured the effects of a community health nursing parent-baby (ad)venture program for first-time mothers who were at risk for child abuse or neglect and depression. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used. Fifteen high-risk mothers in the program were compared with 15 similar mothers who received home visits from the community health nursing staff. Measures of depression, health behaviors, self-esteem, state anxiety, and maternal-infant adaptation were measured in both groups when the mothers were 4 and 16 weeks postpartum. After controlling for pretest differences, the findings showed that program mothers reported significantly higher levels of self-esteem at the three-month period than those receiving home visits ( P < 0.013). In addition, over time these mothers had significantly decreased levels of depression ( P < 0.009) and significantly improved their health habits ( P < 0.003). Those who received home visits showed no significant changes over time.     

Implementation of nursing services in community corrections: A community-academic partnership

Persons who are incarcerated (PWAI) suffer from a disproportionately higher number of physical and mental health conditions. While most jails and prisons provide onsite healthcare, community correctional centers often do not and accessing community healthcare is challenging due to insurance issues, inadequate health literacy, mistrust, and long waits for appointments. A registered nurse-led wellness clinic provides a viable solution to addressing the healthcare needs of PWAI in a community correctional setting. Through a community-academic partnership between a college of nursing and two community correctional transitional centers for men, a registered nurse (RN) faculty member and nursing students provide onsite healthcare. Services include, but are not limited to, acute and chronic disease management, case management, healthcare navigation, and health education. In the first 2 years of operation, there have been 587 new resident health assessments, 882 RN visits, and 152 group education sessions. RN visits have been primarily for: connection to resources (42.6%), medication management (15.6%), and acute conditions (12%). A RN-led wellness clinic is an innovative way to address health needs for PWAI. While this model of care focuses on an academic RN faculty practice at community correctional centers it could be replicated across community settings.     

Time, tact, talent, and trust: essential ingredients of effective academic-community partnerships

Building strong partnerships between academic institutions and community health agencies requires a commitment to time, tactful communications, talented leaders, and trust. The essential elements of partnership building are discussed based on experiences of a mid-Atlantic nursing center, an academic health center established to provide care to underserved and vulnerable populations.