ACE--Alliance for Clinical Enhancement: a collaborative model

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Practice
• Healthcare Workforce Development

Background:

• Traditional nursing internships and extender programs have limitations in preparing students for practice.
• Hospitals face challenges in recruiting new Registered Nurse (RN) graduates.
• Experienced RNs often spend valuable time on non-nursing tasks, impacting efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and discuss the development, implementation, and analysis of the Alliance for Clinical Enhancement (ACE) Program.
• To outline the multifaceted goals of the ACE Program for nursing students, educators, and healthcare facilities.

Main Methods:

• Development of a collaborative model integrating internship and extender program components.
• Implementation of the Alliance for Clinical Enhancement (ACE) Program involving nursing educators and practitioners.
• Analysis of the program's impact on student transition, clinical competence, and hospital recruitment.

Main Results:

• The ACE Program provides opportunities for nursing student role socialization, transition, and modeling.
• Enhanced clinical competence and financial assistance were provided to participating nursing students.
• The program facilitated increased recruitment of RN graduates and reduced non-nursing tasks for hospital RNs.

Conclusions:

• The Alliance for Clinical Enhancement (ACE) Program offers an innovative, collaborative model for nursing education and practice.
• ACE effectively addresses key challenges in nursing student preparedness and hospital workforce needs.
• The program demonstrates a successful strategy for improving clinical skills, recruitment, and operational efficiency in nursing.