Practitioner-teacher model implementation within a newly integrated academic health system: Lessons learned

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Management

Background:

• United States healthcare systems face critical registered nurse (RN) recruitment and retention challenges, exacerbated by high turnover rates and nursing faculty shortages.
• The COVID-19 pandemic intensified these issues, leading to fewer baccalaureate-prepared RNs entering the workforce.
• An academic health system and its College of Nursing (CON) sought a creative solution to increased RN demand due to rising student enrollment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a unified practitioner-teacher model to address RN and faculty shortages.
• To leverage employed RNs to supervise student clinical rotations within the CON.

Main Methods:

• Established a practitioner-teacher model where qualified, employed RNs received formal appointments in the CON.
• RNs utilized up to 10% of their full-time equivalent (FTE) to supervise student clinical rotations.
• Collected post-implementation survey data to assess satisfaction and identify barriers.

Main Results:

• Out of 300 qualified RNs, 14 supervised rotations in the first semester, decreasing to 3 in the second semester.
• Survey results indicated general satisfaction with the role but revealed significant participation barriers.
• The model showed potential but faced challenges in its initial implementation.

Conclusions:

• Communication, reporting structure, and role expectation issues were key barriers to RN participation in the practitioner-teacher model.
• Lessons learned emphasize the need for clear guidelines and support structures for successful implementation.
• Further refinement is necessary to overcome identified challenges and optimize the model for sustained impact.