A partnership to enhance community health education for RN to BSN students

This article shares a unique model of collaboration between a school of nursing and a community business to offer an on-site occupational health clinical experience for RN to BSN students. This activity could be easily replicated by others to provide a learning opportunity for nursing students. Hospitals remain the primary site of employment for nurses. However, with health care reform nurses are exploring many new opportunities including many settings in the community (Black, 2014). Incorporating community health into nursing curriculum is a necessity; however, providing meaningful clinical experiences can be a challenge for faculty. To meet students' learning needs, faculty must be open to developing innovative clinical opportunities (Ellenbecker, 2002). This article describes a unique partnership between faculty in a RN to BSN completion program and employees of a local UPS. The partnership provided an opportunity for students to have a real on-site experience in health education for community members in a nontraditional clinical site. Faculty and employees of the UPS center's health and safety committee worked together to plan a health fair for employees that took place at the workplace setting. One of the goals in the 2014-2018 strategic plan of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to "Advance the Health, Safety, and Well-Being of the American People" (HHS, n.d. p. 3). Strategies to promote prevention and wellness across the lifespan include educating individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles (HHS, n.d). This activity is just one example of how this can be accomplished.