Paired inpatient & outpatient senior practicum clinical placement: Lessons learned

The American Association of Ambulatory Care Nurses (AAACN) promotes addressing the increasing need for registered nurses with specialized knowledge and skills to be effective in the ambulatory care environment (2014). A large University Medical Center was interested in offering a senior practicum clinical experience in the ambulatory care environment, that might result in future hiring of new graduate RNs for positions in 17 ambulatory care centers, to address vacancies and in support of the AAACNs goals (2014). The same University's School of Nursing needed to address the need for additional senior practicum clinical placements for 200+ pre-licensure nursing students, each semester. Targeting both the needs of the Medical Center and the School of Nursing, an academic-practice partnership resulted in the creation of a combined inpatient and outpatient, ambulatory care senior practicum clinical experience. This project resulted in a clearer understanding of the utility of ambulatory care environments as a site for nursing student clinical placements. Additionally, the project informed participating students about the roles of the nurse in the ambulatory setting, but did not result in an increased number of placements nor the hiring of newly-graduated RNs into the ambulatory care environment, to date. Lessons learned and potential solutions are shared.