Beyond community assessment into the real world of learning aggregate practice

One certainty for nursing, and therefore for nursing education, is that nurses of the 21st century will be called upon to deliver aggregate-based care. Faculty, seeking ways to prepare students for this challenge, often use community assessment as a strategy to help develop skills required to implement care at the aggregate level. In this unique program, community projects completed during an undergraduate community and family health nursing course are expanded in scope to include community diagnosis, planning, intervention, and outcome evaluation. Projects offer immediate benefit to the agency and may continue for several semesters, involving students in various phases of the nursing process.