Developing collaborative partnerships in continuing nursing education: walking the talk

The purpose of this article is to describe and analyze a reciprocal partnership developed among four university-based continuing education providers in Wisconsin. Members of this partnership collaborated in developing a statewide program to address the educational needs of nurses moving from acute or long-term care into community nursing. Components of the reciprocal partnership model were applied in developing this program. The partners identified that, despite the initial time investment, the collaborative approach was an advantage. The collaborative approach enhanced the quality of the program developed and reached a wider audience. Continuing nursing educators may want to consider partnership arrangements for program development and implementation.