This presentation will describe a recent collaborative effort between an urban school of nursing and a State Public Health Nursing Agency designed to increase student clinical participation in rural and remote areas. Data from the Alaska Colleagues in Caring Project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation identified shortages in several nursing practice areas across the state, including public health nursing. This enhanced clinical participation in rural settings for the nursing students was designed as an effort to increase post-graduation commitments to community based practice, particularly public health nursing. The public health nursing agency provided expert public health nurses to serve as preceptors for the students as well as funds to support student travel to remote and rural parts of the state. Student evaluations demonstrating positive academic outcomes, a commitment to community based practice and a deeper recognition of diversity within the state will be discussed. Ongoing partnerships such as this may be one strategy that will assist in meeting the challenges of public health workforce shortages.
Learning Objectives: 1. Learner will be able to discuss a partnership between a public health nursing agency and a university school of nursing. 2. Learner will be able to assess whether such a partership is a valuable strategy to address public health workforce shortages.
Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, Public Health Nursing
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.