Revitalizing academic-service partnerships to resolve nursing faculty shortages

Concept analysis of collaboration in implementing problem-based learning in nursing education

Objectives

The purpose of this concept analysis was to better understand and define collaboration as it relates to the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL).

Methods

The process of concept analysis was conducted in three phases; namely, theoretical or literature review, empirical or fieldwork; and analysis phases. Rodgers’ evolutionary approach was used to clarify the attributes, antecedents, surrogate, related terms and consequences of collaboration in implementing PBL. The search key terms were ‘collaboration’, ‘problem-based learning’, ‘nursing’ and ‘nursing education’. The search was performed in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline and PsycINFO databases. The articles were reviewed for trends that would reflect the current knowledge for collaboration as a concept. Descriptive qualitative study was used to collect data purposively from participants of three universities offering PBL in Republic of South Africa and three hospitals where PBL students are placed

Results

Collaboration in implementing PBL is described as using the following terms: interpersonal, interactive and personal process, shared goal and governance. The antecedents of collaboration include commitment and support; common goal; formal agreement; training and development; and monitoring and evaluation of tools and mechanisms. Consequences of collaboration in implementing PBL are as follows: information, resource and expertise sharing; personal development and mentoring; creation of supportive and nurturing environment; professional socialisation; improved students’ outcomes; and effective utilisation of resources.

Conclusion

Effective collaboration within nursing education and with other healthcare professionals to achieve quality outcomes in an increasingly interdependent higher education system continues to grow in importance.

Factors influencing partnerships between higher education and healthcare

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to describe the factors influencing partnerships between higher education and healthcare.

BACKGROUND

Partnerships have often been studied as organisations' internal processes or multi-professional team activities. However, there has been less research on the partnership as a phenomenon between organisations and, until now, the research has mainly focused on experiences in the US and the UK.

SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

The study was carried out in Finland. Staff from a university of applied sciences and a service unit for the elderly took part in nine focus group interviews (n=39) and produced self-evaluations based on diaries (n=13) and essays (n=24). The data were analysed by qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

The factors influencing partnerships were: a joint development target, agreeing on collaboration, providing resources for partnership, enhancing mutual understanding, sharing operational culture, commitment and participatory change management and communication.

CONCLUSIONS

This study updates, and complements, previous reviews on factors influencing partnerships, by providing some new concepts and a new cultural perspective from Finland on a partnership between higher education and healthcare. The results provide information on factors that influence partnerships and develop and manage their sustainability.

Leveraging Academic-Service Partnerships: Implications for Implementing the RWJ/IOM's Recommendations to Improve Quality, Access, and Value in Academic Medical Centers

Transformation of the current healthcare system is critical to achieve improved quality, safety, value, and access. Patients with multiple, chronic health conditions require integrated care coordination yet the current health care system is fragmented and complex. Nursing must play a key role in constructing a system that is value based and patient focused. The Robert Wood Johnson/Institute of Medicine (RWJ/IOM) report on the future of nursing outlines strategic opportunities for nursing to take a lead role in this transformation. Partnerships across academic institutions and health care systems have the potential to address issues through mutual goal setting, sharing of risks, responsibilities, and accountability, and realignment of resources. The purpose of this paper is to present Stony Brook University Medical Center's (SBUMC) academic-service partnership which implemented several of the RWJ/IOM recommendations. The partnership resulted in several initiatives that improved quality, safety, access, and value. It also characterized mutual goal setting, shared missions and values, and a united vision for health care.

The STTI Practice-Academe Innovative Collaboration Award: honoring innovation, partnership, and excellence

PURPOSE

To describe the benefits and barriers associated with practice-academe partnerships and introduce Sigma Theta Tau International's (STTI's) Practice-Academe Innovative Collaboration Award and the 2009 award recipients.

DESIGN AND METHODS

In 2008, STTI created the CNO-Dean Advisory Council and charged it with reviewing the state of practice-academe collaborations and developing strategies for optimizing how chief nursing officers (CNOs) and deans work together to advance the profession and discipline of nursing. The Council, in turn, developed the Practice-Academe Innovative Collaboration Award to encourage collaboration across sectors, recognize innovative collaborative efforts, and spotlight best practices. A call for award submissions resulted in 24 applications from around the globe.

FINDINGS

An award winner and seven initiatives receiving honorable mentions were selected. The winning initiatives reflect innovative academe-service partnerships that advance evidence-based practice, nursing education, nursing research, and patient care. The proposals were distinguished by their collaborators' shared vision and unity of purpose, ability to leverage strengths and resources, and willingness to recognize opportunities and take risks.

CONCLUSIONS

By partnering with one another, nurses in academe and in service settings can directly impact nursing education and practice, often effecting changes and achieving outcomes that are more extensive and powerful than could be achieved by working alone.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The award-winning initiatives represent best practices for bridging the practice-academe divide and can serve as guides for nurse leaders in both settings.