Keywords

academic-practice partnerships, doctor of nursing practice, nursing education, practice immersion

 

Authors

  1. Hooshmand, Mary PhD, MS, RN
  2. Foronda, Cynthia PhD, RN, CNE, CHSE, ANEF
  3. Snowden, Kenya DNP, ANP-BC
  4. de Tantillo, Lila MS, BSN, RN
  5. Williams, Jessica Roberts PhD, MPH, PHNA-BC

Abstract

Background: A critical component of doctor of nursing practice (DNP) education is practice immersion. DNP programs require 1000 hours of clinical practice experience to obtain the DNP degree.

 

Problem: Faculty struggle with providing meaningful clinical experiences congruent with the role of the DNP.

 

Approach: This article describes a unique practice immersion course joining DNP students with community health care partners to provide meaningful experiences with the potential to transform health care. DNP students are assigned system-level projects designed to create organizational change.

 

Outcomes: Over the course of 4 years, the practice immersion opportunities more than doubled from 30 to 66 live projects. Integrating collaborative practice immersion into the curriculum builds students' leadership skills and strengthens long-standing bonds among academia, practice, and the community.

 

Conclusions: The creation of structured, meaningful collaborations between DNP students and community partners is an approach that has the potential to facilitate transformative, sustainable change in health care.