Harnessing the Untapped Potential of Ambulatory Clinical Placements in Prelicensure Nursing Education

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this academic-practice partnership was to expand nursing prelicensure educational opportunities beyond the walls of acute care hospital settings and into communities and ambulatory environments to address clinical placement shortages and support clinical practice recruiting efforts. Method: Leaders from Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing, Weber State University and Intermountain Health collaborated to design and implement a plan for innovative clinical placements across the state through regular work sessions, frequent communication, shared electronic cloud documents, and real-time adaptations and adjustments. Results: The successful implementation of the project resulted in the placement of 296 prelicensure students from 36 clinical groups in various ambulatory and community health environments, which increased total clinical rotation days and decreased reliance on hospital and long-term care facilities. Conclusion: Through innovative planning and implementation, academic-practice partnerships can address clinical placement site shortages and harness the untapped potential of underutilized clinical placement opportunities outside acute care hospital settings. [ J Nurs Educ . 2024;63(X):XXX–XXX.]