Creating and Sustaining Education and Practice Synergy on a Dedicated Education Unit

The Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) clinical education model has the potential to increase pre-licensure nursing program capacity, ensure stable clinical placement sites, blend faculty teaching expertise with staff nurse practice proficiency, and provide students with an authentic learning environment. This presentation will describe themes that emerged from a phenomenological study of the lived experience of nursing faculty on a DEU.  This inquiry was guided by the approach of Max van Manen and the interview transcripts were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. The participants were full-time faculty members from seven schools of nursing in four geographic divisions of the U.S.  They were teaching on a DEU at the time of the study; however, all participants had previously taught using the traditional faculty-supervised clinical model and all had some level of involvement in establishing the DEU. This presentation will explore the meaning of the faculty experience as they transitioned to teaching on a DEU and offer insight into the similarities and differences among the participants’ perceptions of the essence of their role.  Through the narratives of the participants, best practices for creating and sustaining a synergy of learning in a DEU will be shared.  Implications for nursing education will be discussed including approaches for a successful transition to teaching in a new learning partnership and strategies to guide and engage staff nurse clinical instructors, promote deep student learning, and support evidence-based nursing practice on the unit. This information will be useful for faculty, faculty leaders, and nursing practice leaders who are considering implementation of the DEU clinical nursing education model or similar education-practice partnerships.