A journey towards a healthy collaborative nursing program: a case study

In Canada, collaborative college-university nursing programs have emerged in response to professional education changes and nursing shortages. Developing a collaborative nursing education program between two provinces, each with a distinct academic culture, independent practice, unique governance and separate administration, was not an easy undertaking. The authors used a theoretical approach to implement a collaborative nursing program. Integrating leadership theory with an existing framework for multiple interventions from community health, the authors articulate developmental stages for collaborative education and share their own collaborative journey. This case study demonstrates that healthy, sustainable collaborative education does exist. The paper introduces a developmental model for collaborative education and serves as both a pathway for new collaborations and a reflective tool for existing ones.