Creating a Learning Plan for Prelicensure Students in Primary Care Clinical Experiences

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Primary Care
• Health Workforce Development

Background:

• Registered nurses (RNs) practicing to their full scope can enhance healthcare capacity and patient care quality.
• Preparing prelicensure nursing students for primary care practice faces significant curricular and clinical barriers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement learning activities for prelicensure nursing students to enhance primary care nursing education.
• To address challenges in preparing nurses for primary care roles.

Main Methods:

• A federally funded project developed and implemented concept-based learning activities.
• Students engaged in primary care clinical placements and instructor-facilitated seminars.
• Exploration and comparison of current and best practices in primary care nursing.

Main Results:

• Pre- and post-surveys indicated significant student learning in primary care nursing concepts.
• A notable increase in overall knowledge, skills, and attitudes was observed from pre- to post-term.

Conclusions:

• Concept-based learning activities are effective for specialty nursing education in primary and ambulatory care.
• This approach supports the development of a competent primary care RN workforce.