Clinical Teaching in the Nursing Home: Perspectives From Three Universities

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nursing Education

Background:

• The aging population necessitates increased long-term care (LTC) services, especially in nursing homes.
• There is a noted lack of interest in pursuing careers within the LTC sector.
• The Teaching Nursing Home Collaborative was established to address this workforce challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the implementation of clinical experiences in nursing homes for nursing students.
• To identify strategies for enhancing the quality of LTC clinical rotations.

Main Methods:

• Three universities in Pennsylvania participated in the collaborative.
• Nursing students completed clinical rotations in nursing home/LTC settings.
• Rotations varied in duration (6-12 hours) and frequency (1-multiple days) over one semester.

Main Results:

• Students engaged in clinical rotations integrated into one to three nursing courses.
• The rotations offered diverse experiences and assignments within nursing home environments.
• The collaborative provided practical exposure to long-term care settings.

Conclusions:

• Well-prepared faculty are crucial for successful clinical experiences.
• A clearly established agenda for clinical rotations is essential for effective learning.
• These initiatives are vital for preparing the future nursing workforce for long-term care.