Partnerships and innovation: The future of nursing education - American Nurse
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STRICTLY CLINICAL 2020-2021 Education and Career Guide
Partnerships and innovation:
The future of nursing education
Collaboration, design thinking, and competencies are critical
to prepare nurses to work at the top of their practice.
By Catherine Spader, RN
N
ursing education is evolving rapidly to gent investment to accelerate nursing educa-
prepare nurses for mounting health- tion. (Visit who.int/publications-detail/nursing-
care challenges, including the COVID- report-2020 to read the report.) WHO also
19 pandemic, healthcare inequality, integra- advocates for strengthening leadership so
tion of electronic health records, and care nurses have an influential role in developing
across various settings. The World Health health policy and decision-making and can
Organization (WHO), in its State of the World’s contribute to effective health and social care
Nursing Report—2020, is calling for an ur- systems.
4 American Nurse Journal • 2020-2021 EDUCATION AND CAREER GUIDE MyAmericanNurse.com
STRICTLY CLINICAL 2020-2021 Education and Career Guide
Here’s a look at some of the innovative Creative collaborations solve
strategies associations and schools are us- problems
ing to ensure future nurses are well pre- Schools of nursing are responding to rap-
pared to meet evolving healthcare needs idly changing healthcare demands by de-
and work at the top of their licenses. veloping creative new clinical collabora-
tions and strengthening existing ones.
Covering the essentials “There is an ingenuity happening that is
“Unprecedented changes in healthcare de- providing benefits to patients and a great
livery needs are accelerating innovative ef- learning experience for nursing students,”
forts in nursing education,” says Deborah Trautman says. “These academic-based
Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN, president and teams are helping students learn and ad-
chief executive officer of the American As- dressing care needs throughout the coun-
sociation of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). try. I believe these partnerships will con-
In addition, the 2019 Activating Nurs- tinue to grow and strengthen in the
ing to Address Unmet Needs in the 21st future as a result of the pandemic.”
Century report by the Robert Wood John- Since 2013, the University of Connecti-
son Foundation states that one of the core cut (UConn) School of Nursing in Storrs
“The more
functions of nursing practice is to build has strategically focused on educating we can get
partnerships within and outside the health nursing students in the science of innova-
sector to find solutions to today’s health- tion. Initial efforts encouraged undergrad-
students
care challenges. (Visit uate nursing students to to work
bit.ly/36wRQa6 to read work with teams of engi-
the report.) neering, business, and
together and
AACN is taking a big allied health students to think about
step into the future by re- take their ideas and solu-
envisioning its Essential tions from concept to
how to
Series, the elements and successful prototype. creatively
framework on which to Projects include new
develop nursing curricula. products, services, and
problem
“We are moving from bac- processes that students Tiffany Kelley solve, the
calaureate, master’s, and develop and then con-
doctor of nursing practice Deborah Trautman duct initial tests in clinical environments
stronger we
curricula essentials toward or in the simulation lab. will be in
competency-based education and assess- “The more we can get students to
ment,” Trautman says. The goal of this ap- work together and think about how to
uncertain
proach is to ensure equitable learning ex- creatively problem solve, the stronger we times.”
periences and achieve a consistent level of will be in uncertain times,” says Tiffany
competency in domains such as primary Kelley, PhD, MBA, RN, DeLuca Founda- – Tiffany Kelly
care, coordination of care, public health, tion Visiting Professor for Innovation and
and population health management. New Knowledge at the UConn School of
Many of the changes schools of nurs- Nursing.
ing have implemented because of the UConn integrates innovation education
current public health crisis will likely throughout its curriculum across all degree
continue and evolve, including online ed- programs (bachelor of science through
ucation and virtual simulation. “Our ex- doctorate). For undergraduates, innova-
perience during COVID-19 has shown us tion is introduced in their first semester.
high standards can be met with online “We prepare undergraduates to be think-
education,” Trautman says. “Before this ing early about care delivery in different
crisis, there was some concern about ways,” Kelley says.
how well students would accept virtual The school also offers the newly
simulation programs, but we have found launched Healthcare Innovation Online
it is not a problem, and some students Graduate Certificate. The 12-credit pro-
even prefer them.” gram integrates innovation theories from
MyAmericanNurse.com June 2020 American Nurse Journal • 2020-2021 EDUCATION AND CAREER GUIDE 5
STRICTLY CLINICAL 2020-2021 Education and Career Guide
business and social sciences and teaches Thinking by design
medical and nonmedical professionals Schools of nursing also are adapting the
how to apply critical thinking skills to design thinking approach to foster innova-
shift healthcare culture. The program, tion. Design thinking teaches students how
which stresses healthcare innovation the- to challenge their own assumptions to bet-
ory and application and workplace cul- ter understand patients and their needs to
tures that foster innovation, encourages create quicker, more effective solutions.
students to be divergent thinkers and “The end goal of design thinking is to
teaches them how to assess potential make the user experience the best it can
benefits and risks associated with launch- be. It’s about creatively thinking forward,
ing their ideas to determine viability. The rapid prototyping, and testing ideas and
program’s capstone project is designed products,” says Daniel Pesut, PhD, RN,
to advance students’ ideas as far as pos- FAAN, professor of nursing at the Univer-
sible with guided mentorship over 14 sity of Minnesota School of Nursing, and
“Teaching weeks. director of the Katharine J. Densford Inter-
“One of the most dangerous state- national Center for Nursing Leadership.
design ments we hear in healthcare is, ‘That’s The five phases of design thinking are
thinking the way we’ve always done it.’” Kelley discovery, interpretation, ideation, experi-
says. “We evolve when we become per- mentation, and evolution. The University of
is an sonally invested in addressing what is not Minnesota School of Nursing has adapted
opportunity working for the betterment of all.” design thinking into its Health Care Design
and Innovation Post-Bac-
to reboot calaureate Certificate pro-
and think Solving real-world problems in gram. Courses teach the
real time knowledge, skills, and abil-
differently Students at Duke University School of ities to bring design think-
about the Nursing in Durham, NC, are learning to ing to nursing leadership
solve real-world problems in real time in and innovation.
future, as the Duke Health Innovation Lab. The lab In one student project,
opposed to is a physical space where practicing nurs- a nurse observed and lis-
es, nursing students, fac- tened to patrons at the lo-
returning to ulty, physicians, physical cal library and discovered Daniel Pesut
old ways of therapists, engineers, and they frequently discussed
other professionals collab- unmet health issues. She used design
thinking and orate to develop, build, thinking to activate ideas about how li-
old process and test protypes of new braries can become portals to promote
healthcare products and health and health literacy. Possible library
models.” delivery processes. Proj- services could include health counseling, a
– Daniel Pesut ects include much-needed nurse practitioner clinic, and a health and
3D-printed face shields, human services professional to help pa-
now in clinical use at the trons access health-related resources.
Ryan J. Shaw
Duke University Health “We are seeing many dysfunctional sys-
System, and telepresence robots in the in- tems in healthcare colliding and breaking
tensive care unit to increase patient com- down as a result of the pandemic,” Pesut
munication and reduce personal protective says. “Teaching design thinking is an oppor-
equipment use. (Visit youtube.com/watch tunity to reboot and think differently about
?v=KOLcTKhPEhE to see a telepresence the future, as opposed to returning to old
robot in action.) ways of thinking and old process models.”
“The lab and the team played a critical
role in the journey of the robots and face
shields from concept to use,” says Ryan J. Uncovering the real problems to find
Shaw, PhD, RN, associate professor and the best outcomes
director of the Health Innovation Lab. The University of Pennsylvania’s School of
6 American Nurse Journal • 2020-2021 EDUCATION AND CAREER GUIDE MyAmericanNurse.com
STRICTLY CLINICAL 2020-2021 Education and Career Guide
Nursing in Philadelphia also has incorporated Dolansky, PhD, RN, FAAN, Sarah C. Hirsh
design thinking into its Innovation in Health Professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School
course, which is open to all university under- of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University
graduate and graduate students. in Cleveland, OH.
“We need more rapid solutions to prob- Nurses’ role in primary care is partnering
lems, especially now with the COVID-19 with patients to foster optimal patient self-
pandemic,” says Marion Leary, MSN, MPH, management. This includes monitoring
RN, director of innovation at the University of health, managing medications, teaching and
Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing. “Design coaching health improvement strategies, sup-
thinking allows nurses to rapidly create and porting success, and providing motivation
test solutions to problems in months instead for healthy activities, such as exercise and
of years.” Leary also is a founding member of healthy eating. To achieve this, primary care
the Society of Nurse Scientists, Innovators, RNs must be able to work to the top of their
Entrepreneurs & Leaders. licenses—which they haven’t be able to in
Students begin by learning about the foun- the past, according to Dolansky.
dation of empathy, which refers to seeking Times are changing, and educational
out the true cause of a problem, rather than partnerships and better training are support-
relying on preconceived ideas. For example, ing nurses to practice at the highest level “Nurses
in one project, students performed interviews possible. Frances Payne Bolton School of
and observations in Philadelphia public Nursing has teamed up with Louis Stokes need to
schools with a goal of improving food insecu- Cleveland VA Medical Center in a feder- know how to
rity. What they discovered ally funded program to
after working through the strengthen primary care step up and
design thinking activities training for nurses while en- influence
was that the problem wasn’t hancing veteran healthcare.
what they thought it was. Program competencies in- others and
The real issue was asthma clude care coordination, be the role
attacks in the classroom— population health manage-
and a shortage of school ment, behavioral health model
nurses trained to respond. integration, and chronic for the
Nursing students tackled the disease management.
problem by creating a mock Other skills include rela- professional
Marion Leary Mary A. Dolansky
inhaler and a scan code. tionship building, team- delivery of
The code links online to each child’s individ- work and collaboration, and leadership.
ualized asthma action plan, so teachers can “Nurses need to know how to step up care.”
quickly look up how to treat the child. and influence others and be the role model – Mary Dolansky
“We can’t tell people what we think they for the professional delivery of care,” Dolan-
need. Design thinking begins with allowing sky says. “This requires a transformation of
patients to tell and show us what they know curricula from a narrow focus on acute, in-
they need,” Leary says. patient care to a wider education and train-
ing in primary care and health manage-
ment.”
Primary care competency The faculty is developing an observa-
To address the healthcare needs of the fu- tional assessment of primary care compe-
ture, WHO is recommending that nurses are tence. The goal is to establish that baccalau-
educated and trained in the scientific, tech- reate nurses are competent in primary care
nological, and sociological skills needed to nursing as new grads.
drive progress in primary healthcare and that “It’s an exciting moment for nursing,”
they work to their full potential. Dolansky says. “Primary care is a specialty in
“Due to the shortage of physicians, physi- which we can shine and show the world the
cian assistants, and nurse practitioners, pri- full extent of what a nurse does.”
mary care is moving toward team care, and
RNs are a vital part of the team,” says Mary A. Catherine Spader is an author and healthcare writer based in Lit-
tleton, Colorado.
MyAmericanNurse.com June 2020 American Nurse Journal • 2020-2021 EDUCATION AND CAREER GUIDE 7
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