Potential employers help develop clinical nursing electives

Academic practice partnerships can have profound benefits for participants according to a recent article in the Journal of Nursing Administration. Lienhard School of Nursing at Pace University partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., to develop electives in oncology, neonatal intensive care and perioperative nursing. The partners used the article to describe their process and the benefits of their collaboration. The electives “provide high-quality clinical experiences that build competency, critical thinking, and clinical decision-making skills; solve the problem of not enough preceptors or quality sites; and enhance graduates' potential for hire at the hospital where they had their experience. For the practice partner, this model creates the opportunity to customize clinical education to meet unique workforce needs, screen potential employees, and hire more job-ready new graduates.” This effort is in keeping with Guiding Principles for Academic-Practice Partnerships, developed by a joint task force of AONL and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in 2012. The nursing school plans to develop more electives based on student interests and the needs of local practice partners.