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Learning Objective #1: identify ways in which student dyads enhance clinical performance and improve patient outcomes.

Learning Objective #2: compare the benefits and challenges to using student dyads in an introduction foundations to nursing course.

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Nursing educators today are faced with many challenges when instructing students in the clinical areas. Aside from the students anxiety about their first clinical experience ever or their first clinical experience caring for a patient on a ventilator, educators also face decreased numbers of patients to assign as the length of stay is shorter, less experienced nurses at the bedside to provide role models and preceptors for nursing students, increased numbers of nursing students in the clinical areas secondary to the nursing faculty shortage. Furthermore, nursing students face the stressors of how to give a bath, how to administer medications, how to communicate and collaborate with other members of the health care team. By using student dyads as an innovative clinical teaching strategy some of these challenges may be diminished. By implementing student dyads, students have a “buddy” with whom they can collaborate, communicate and form a trusting relationship with while providing care to their assigned patient or patients. Using this strategy with twenty four baccalaureate level students in a foundations course and two associate degree students in a intermediate intensive care unit proved to be beneficial in decreasing student anxiety, improving and challenging communication and collaboration, encouraging collegiality and ultimately enhancing patient care and improved outcomes. Benefits noted by the educator included decreased number of patients needed, students worked together and were able to critically think, trouble shoot and problem solve together before seeking the help of the clinical educator. Student’s anxiety level was decreased and students stated they felt less anxious having a partner with whom to collaborate. Consideration when pairing the students into their dyad included student experience, age, gender and classroom performance. The use of clinical dyads enhanced nursing clinical performance and improved patient outcomes.