Professional Learning Partnerships: A Collaboration Between Education and Service

Escalating mental health care needs coupled with a decreasing nurse labor force demand a fundamental paradigm shift in undergraduate education and service partnerships among psychiatric-mental health nursing students and practicing nurses. The purpose of this two-group comparative study was to identify factors that contribute to a successful learning partnership between nursing students and practicing nurses engaged in a clinical specialty partnership program within an acute psychiatric-mental health setting. The convenience sample consisted of 51 partners: 33 undergraduate students and 18 practicing nurses. The Learning Partnership Survey was administered to all partners allowing comparison of ranking among factors important to the partner relationship. Contrary to previous research, student and nurse partners were more similar in their factor ranking in the present study. Statistically significant differences were noted in the ranking of 2 of the 15 factors that fostered successful learning partnerships. Implications for professional learning partnerships between nursing academia and service institutions are discussed.