Developing the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education: the back story

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Higher Education Collaboration
• Health Workforce Development

Background:

• The Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE) was established to address a growing nursing shortage and changing population health needs.
• OCNE is a partnership between community colleges and a multicampus university, creating a unified nursing curriculum.
• Despite shared resources and standards, each partner institution maintains its autonomy and accountability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the consensus-building process that led to the creation of OCNE.
• To provide an explanatory framework for other initiatives aiming to redesign nursing education.
• To analyze the collaborative development of a statewide nursing education consortium.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE) development.
• Evaluation funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• Examination of the consensus-building process involving multiple stakeholders.

Main Results:

• A redesigned nursing curriculum with shared academic standards, admissions, and articulation agreements was successfully implemented.
• The consortium facilitated seamless transitions between associate and baccalaureate nursing programs.
• Effective consensus building involved diverse participants with varied concerns, leading to a functional collaborative model.

Conclusions:

• The OCNE model demonstrates a successful approach to collaborative nursing education reform.
• Consensus building is crucial for developing and sustaining inter-institutional educational partnerships.
• The OCNE experience offers valuable insights and a framework for replicating nursing education redesign initiatives elsewhere.