| Learning Objective #1: Identify areas in which nurse leaders can contribute to the transdisciplinary process of planning and designing health care facilities. | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Reflect upon situations in which the design of the environment has enhanced or inhibited the nurses ability to provide safe and effective care. |
A doctoral-level nursing course offered at Texas Woman’s University in Houston will be showcased as a model that successfully implemented nontraditional transdisciplinary collaboration and industry partnering to provide PhD nursing students with leadership, scholarship, and research opportunities. The unique and timely development of the course received the 2007 Award for Innovation in Graduate Nursing Education by the Texas Organization for Baccalaureate and Graduate Education (TOBGNE).
Using the tenets of Experiential Learning Theory, additional hands-on learning opportunities with architectural aids, computer-assisted design software, and room-building materials were included to enhance learning. Participants reflected upon the everyday experiences of the nurse or patient in the context of the health care environment. Problematic and enabling circumstances found within the environment were simulated and solutions explored using real-time, scaled modeling, or life-size scenarios. Concepts related to legal and financial constraints, developing transdisciplinary teams, and innovative approaches to industrial partnering were also explored. Thanks to the generous support of Hill-Rom, this course provided an exceptional learning opportunity for nurse leaders.