Nursing Student Work-Study Internship Program: An Academic Partnership

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Development

Background:

• Partnership between a Northern California health system and five universities.
• Development of an innovative work-study internship program for nursing students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the critical education-to-practice gap in nursing.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a work-study internship model.

Main Methods:

• Prelicensure nursing students participated in a paid internship within the health system.
• Interns worked under the supervision of Registered Nurse (RN) preceptors.
• Exposure to clinical practice realities and skill mastery was facilitated.

Main Results:

• Interns reported increased exposure to diverse clinical situations.
• Enhanced integration of clinical knowledge with critical thinking skills.
• Improved prioritization, time management, and interprofessional communication skills.
• Interns felt better prepared for safe and effective transition to new graduate roles.

Conclusions:

• The work-study program effectively bridges the education-to-practice gap.
• Academic-practice partnerships offer an innovative solution for nursing workforce development.
• The program enhances student readiness for professional nursing practice.