Improvement processes useful to nursing education are not well developed.  Clinical microsystems, adapted to the nursing academy,  may offer nursing education a powerful model for program evaluation and change.   According to the leading thinkers in the work of clinical microsystems (Dartmouth, 2002), a clinical microsystem is a small group of people who work together on a regular basis to provide care to particular populations of patients. These small work units have both clinical and business aims, processes that link individuals within the microsystem and often with the larger organization, share information across the micro and macro levels, and are held responsible for performance outcomes.  These descriptors are readily translated directly to the nursing academy.  As complex adaptive system, nursing education organizations  are required to  be creative,  understand its aims and mission, while remaining responsive and innovative in order to  meet the needs of the myriad of academic stakeholders.  This is the work of microsystems.  This presentation introduces the concept of clinical microsystems, reviews the linkage between complex adaptive systems functioning and system change processes, and provides information on how to translate clinical microsystem concepts into academic microsystems.   Strategies for how academic organizations can become great functioning microsystems will be provided.  This presentation is for any faculty who has puzzled over program evaluation and wondered how to bring the change process to life.   In summary,  an overview of  the  academic microsystem components of students, faculty, stakeholders, processes, and patterns  will be   provided and helpful web sites reviewed.  As well,  case studies of  successful academic and clinical microsystems will be shared.

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