Utilizing Academic–Service Partnerships to Advance the Care of Veterans

Challenges encountered in both advanced practice registered nursing (APRN) education and veteran health care include an aging workforce, limited resources, and faculty/staff shortages, which ultimately affect patient outcomes. Academic–service partnerships (ASP) address these challenges by increasing workforce capacity and engagement, promoting interprofessional collaboration and evidence-based practice, creating educational opportunities for nursing students to work with underserved populations, and offering a mechanism for recruitment and retention. This article outlines the systematic approach a large doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program in the southwestern United States used to develop and deploy an ASP program with 2 sizeable veteran-serving community partners.