Student Nurses as Workforce Extenders: A Pandemic-Proof Education Innovation

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Public Health Nursing
• Academic-Practice Partnerships

Background:

• Developed an innovative academic-practice partnership to address clinical experience needs for student nurses.
• Supported the nursing workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic in a community-based hospital setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and impact of an academic-practice partnership on student nurse clinical education.
• To assess the partnership's effect on student learning outcomes and hospital staff support.

Main Methods:

• Established a partnership prioritizing safety, policy compliance, and faculty supervision.
• Integrated student nurses as workforce extenders with on-site clinical instructor supervision.

Main Results:

• Students reported enhanced skills in prioritization, independence, problem-solving, and delegation.
• Supervised students improved staff time management and optimized the patient care experience through assistance and support.

Conclusions:

• The academic-practice partnership proved safe and feasible for student clinical objectives.
• The initiative met educational needs without imposing additional burdens on staff nurses.