Home Hospitals: Maximizing Nursing Student Clinical Placements

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Placements
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Metropolitan baccalaureate nursing program faced challenges in maximizing student clinical time.
• The Home Hospital option maintained student clinical rotations at a single agency throughout the program.
• This contrasts with traditional multi-site rotation models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the benefits and limitations of the Home Hospital clinical placement option.
• To assess student satisfaction and experiences with the Home Hospital model.
• To identify potential solutions for optimizing clinical learning experiences.

Main Methods:

• A 3.5-year quality improvement study was conducted.
• A convenience sample of 210 nursing students was surveyed.
• Data were collected via an online program exit survey focusing on onboarding, staff appreciation, agency culture, and overall satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Over 90% of students indicated a willingness to repeat the Home Hospital experience.
• More than 90% of students recommended the Home Hospital option to their peers.
• The study highlights significant student endorsement of the single-site rotation model.

Conclusions:

• The Home Hospital option offers numerous benefits and a viable solution for complex clinical placement challenges.
• This model addresses issues related to maximizing clinical learning opportunities for nursing students.
• Academic partnerships in nursing education must adapt, particularly in areas with limited placement availability.