Partnering with family members to improve the intensive care unit experience

Family members play an important and varied role in a patient's health care experience, ranging from emotional support to surrogate health care decision making. The family role can be substantial in the intensive care unit setting, as the patients rely upon family members to make health care decisions for them. The core components of patient- and family-centered care include information sharing, a welcoming environment, respect for individual values and needs, comfort and support, and providing a helpful framework for developing a productive partnership with family members. Involving family members in daily operations and providing services that make it easier for family members to participate in the care process result in the best possible care for their loved one. Including the family perspective in quality improvement initiatives better ensures that any changes made will result in better care for future patients and family members.     

Partners in Practice: a win-win model for clinical education

A program of cognitive apprenticeship focusing on problem solving skills through reflection, discussion, and actions shared between novice and experienced students was developed and piloted in a large baccalaureate nursing program in the midwestern United States. The program paired senior students in a leadership course with instructor-led groups of first-year students in the clinical and laboratory setting. Senior students developed leadership skills associated with best practices including preparation, planning, clear communication, feedback, and change, while gaining a better appreciation of individual learning needs. First-year students gained confidence with their knowledge and skills and were able to refine communications with patients, patients' families, and staff members and think more critically about patient care issues. Unanticipated benefits included patient, family, and staff recognition and appreciation for a new model for patient care delivery.     

The nursing wellness center: a win-win situation for faculty.

This article discusses the community-based wellness center as a solution to faculty needs for community-based student clinical practice sites, faculty practice and the mission of service to the community. The development of the concept at our school is traced, and the benefits of such a program to faculty, students, and the University are explored.     

Partnering for prevention: a Pressure Ulcer Prevention Collaborative project

In a statewide initiative, coordinated by the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) Quality Institute, hospitals together with nursing home and home care agencies were asked to participate in a Pressure Ulcer Prevention Collaborative. The goal of this collaborative was to decrease the incidence and prevalence of pressure ulcers across the state by 25% within a 12-month period. This article discusses the rationale for the Collaborative as well as the requirements and implementation of the initiative within Community Medical Center's Home Health Program.     

Partnering to Scale a Graduate Nursing Program

In response to market demand, a private, nonprofit university affiliated with an academic health center expanded its existing on-campus nurse practitioner programs to include an innovative online delivery method. This expansion aligned with the university's service mission to increase access to high-quality education to rural and underserved regions and to improve the health and well-being of communities by increasing the nurse practitioner workforce. In order to achieve these goals, the university entered into partnership with a for-profit educational technology company to develop a sustainable online program. The authors discuss the challenges and lessons learned through this venture.     

Take a chance on nursing mentorships. Enhance leadership with this win-win strategy

Mentoring in nursing traditionally occurs at the master's or doctoral level, but the mutual career enhancement gained by such an alliance can be experienced at all stages of a nursing career. This article presents e-mail examples to illustrate antecedent relationship factors and the progression of phases in a mentorship between a clinically experienced RN and a doctorally prepared nursing professor. Application of this concept from a business model reveals parallels to nursing and blends perspectives from both disciplines. Also discussed are perceptual and tangible outcomes of mentorships and strategies to foster this positive approach.     

Partnering with the Community to Teach Research

This paper describes a cooperative program in rehabilitation research, conducted in partnership between the University of Hawaii School of Public Health and the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific (REHAB), that provided benefits for REHAB patients and staff as well as for university students and faculty.     

Partnering to educate: Dedicated education units

A current focus of the healthcare industry is centered on addressing the nursing shortage. In the midst of a nursing faculty shortage the Institute of Medicine (2010) recently released a report that calls for increasing the number of baccalaureate prepared nurses to 80% of the workforce by 2020. Therefore, nursing schools are faced with graduating more nurses to meet the demand. Yet, admission to schools of nursing are often limited because of clinical placement sites. The Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) model has been recently introduced to address the challenge of increasing the enrollment of nursing students in spite of a nationwide shortage of nursing faculty. Dedicated Education Units are clinical sites in hospitals where staff nurses serve as preceptors for students in all levels of their nursing education. This model is designed to improve practice education to better prepare students for actual practice while decreasing the number of faculty required at clinical sites. The purpose of this article is to discuss the implications of this model for nursing education, our experience with the DEU model, and issues of deliberation.     

Partnering and leadership: core requirements for developing a dedicated education unit

Preparing new nurses to practice independently and provide safe and effective care has always been a priority for nurse leaders in academe and service but is becoming more of a challenge as patient acuity intensifies and care systems become more complex. Recent reports by the Carnegie Foundation and by the Institute of Medicine and RWJF call for nurse leaders to improve how nurses are prepared and educated by reducing the gap between classroom and clinical teaching and making better use of resources and partnerships available in the community. The development of a dedicated education unit is one strategy to address this gap.