Harnessing the Untapped Potential of Ambulatory and Community Clinical Placements

Academic-industry partnerships are key in addressing clinical placement site shortages and enhancing the cross-continuum experiences of pre-licensure nursing students by harnessing the untapped potential of underutilized ambulatory and community placements. The purpose of this academic-industry partnership project was to facilitate a collaborative effort between industry and academic institutions to expand nursing prelicensure educational opportunities beyond the walls of acute care hospital settings. Leaders from Intermountain Health and Weber State University formed a team to design and implement a plan for innovative clinical placements in North and Central (metro) Utah. Through regular work sessions and frequent communication, potential placement sites and experiences were identified. Course learning outcomes were maintained in ambulatory care rotations while alleviating student load on acute care nurses