A New Framework for Practice-Academic Partnerships During the Pandemic-and into the Future

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic restricted nursing students' access to clinical patient care experiences.
• This lack of experience jeopardizes foundational nursing education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on solutions developed by nurse leaders convened by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
• To introduce the practice-academic partnership model for nursing clinical education.

Main Methods:

• Virtual convening of national nurse leaders by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
• Exploration of challenges and development of a national model for clinical experiences.

Main Results:

• A national practice-academic partnership model was recommended.
• This model integrates regulatory bodies to facilitate student clinical experiences during crises.
• The model addresses chronic challenges in securing clinical sites.

Conclusions:

• The practice-academic partnership model provides a viable solution for nursing students' clinical education during public health emergencies.
• This model offers a sustainable framework for addressing ongoing clinical placement shortages in nursing programs.