Student experiential learning: a collaborative community practice project

Area of Science:

• Community health nursing
• Experiential learning
• Healthcare access assessment

Background:

• Community assessment and experiential learning are crucial for training community health nurses.
• This article details a collaborative project involving senior baccalaureate nursing students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a community practice project integrating students in health service assessment.
• To evaluate learning outcomes using Burnard's Experiential Learning Model and course objectives.

Main Methods:

• Senior baccalaureate nursing students participated in a community practice project.
• Students conducted assessments of healthcare service availability and utilization in Spokane, Washington.
• Data collected informed community planners on healthcare access issues for low-income populations.

Main Results:

• The project provided practical experience for nursing students in community assessment.
• Student-generated data directly contributed to addressing healthcare access challenges for underserved populations.
• Learning outcomes were analyzed through the lens of experiential learning theory and nursing education standards.

Conclusions:

• Experiential learning projects effectively prepare community health nurses for real-world practice.
• Collaborative projects enhance student learning and provide valuable community-level data.
• Recommendations are offered for developing similar impactful experiential learning opportunities in nursing education.