Paper
Sunday, November 4, 2007
200
Partnering with Rural Hospitals for Creative Practicum Leadership Experiences
Jill G. Valde, PhD, RN, Adult and Gerontology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA and Deborah P. Schoenfelder, PhD, RN, Adult and Gerontology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: The learner will be able to describe a framework for developing an innovative nursing leadership practicum. |
| Learning Objective #2: The learner will be to identify transdisciplinary opportunities for collaboration in the rural healthcare settings. |
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2004) has called for the nursing profession to produce quality graduates who are prepared for clinical leadership in all healthcare settings. Leadership preparation that includes interaction with nursing leaders and other leaders of the transdisciplinary team is an important part of this education. Strong nursing leaders continue to be needed in rural hospitals and healthcare systems to manage care of diverse health problems across the lifespan, from relatively simple acute care to emergency care, as well as complex management of long-term chronic conditions. Rural Clinical Leadership Practicum (RCLP) is a three-semester hour course developed for undergraduate nursing students at The University of Iowa College of Nursing. Rural healthcare issues, transdisciplinary collaboration, and leadership in healthcare are the three areas of emphasis for the course. The practicum took place at two small rural hospitals in western Iowa. Nursing students were mentored by upper-level managers, who were responsible for ensuring that students were connected with various transdisciplinary team members so that the practicum was a rich experience.
Examples of practicum experiences in which the students participated were:
* Attended a public relations meeting, discussing the hospital’s role in community events
* Attended an all- department managers’ meeting led by the CEO
* Updated the hospital’s policy on blood administration, to keep it current and evidence-based
* Participated in a discharge planning meeting with nursing, social service, dietary, physical therapy and respiratory therapy
* Spent time with a nurse who did employee health activities, infection control work; and Quality Assurance, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Utilization Management.
The course was evaluated positively by the nursing students and clinical mentors. The authors plan to continue to improve RCLP based on student and clinical mentor feedback.