RN students: unobtrusive cost-effective change agents

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Management
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Healthcare institutions face increasing pressure for cost containment and quality improvement.
• Traditional nursing education models may not fully prepare students for practical application of these principles in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a teaching-learning project empowering senior nursing students to conduct pilot projects on cost containment and quality improvement.
• To explore the collaborative potential between nursing education and nursing service through student-led initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a project-based learning strategy for registered nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students.
• Students undertook cost containment and quality improvement pilot projects within their practice environments.

Main Results:

• The project facilitated collaboration between nursing education and nursing service departments.
• Student engagement in pilot projects demonstrated a practical approach to addressing healthcare costs and quality.

Conclusions:

• This creative teaching strategy effectively empowers nursing students to contribute to institutional cost containment and quality improvement.
• The model provides a framework for replicating this initiative in other healthcare settings to foster a culture of continuous improvement.