Integrating experienced and novice nurses into graduate home health education

Preparing master's-level professionals in home health nursing presents challenges because nurses come to graduate programs with varying degrees of home health experience. The purpose of this study was to examine how nurses with varying experience in home health nursing are integrated into graduate clinical practicum courses. Representations of 10 home health graduate programs were surveyed regarding how they adapt their clinical practicums to meet the special needs of their novice and experienced nurses. Respondents revealed that individualization was used to meet the individual needs of students. Individualization allows for creativity in developing learning experiences that are both challenging and satisfying for the student. However, lack of consistency in the advanced practice skills of graduates, and lack of time efficiency for faculty and agency personnel can also occur. Faculty members need to share creative ways of teaching students, to identify unique opportunities for clinical experiences, and to collaborate on research.