It is common knowledge that the nation's nursing workforce is dwindling as is the pool of qualified nursing faculty.

One concept to address both issues that has not been fully explored is capitalizing on a prime resource - bedside nurses.

The nursing profession is physically and emotionally strenuous, which prompts many nurses to leave the profession prematurely.

These nurses, if given the choice, may opt to continue practicing clinically if they could fulfill part of their full-time commitment working in another role that is less physically demanding.

Further, generating full-time pay while being offered an opportunity to grow professionally and learn new skills in a supportive environment could reduce the loss of valuable bedside practitioners while bolstering the number of faculty.

Today's challenging healthcare climate has put pressure on nursing practice and nursing education.

Progressive nursing leadership initiatives need to work on establishing communication and dialogue about meeting the needs of their respective organizations while filling voids within the nursing profession. 

Career Pipeline

Although effective partnership development is time consuming, resource intensive and difficult given the complexity of inter-organizational expectations, it makes perfect business sense.

History tells us meaningful relationships between nursing faculty and health-service providers are foundational to a nursing student's successful clinical experience. Clinical placement is regarded as the most influential factor in student nurse professional socialization.

Certainly, impacting the quality of the student experience will optimize professional performance and potentially the retention of the candidate within the organization.

Through these strategic partnerships, the registered nurse will also feel supported by leadership, which is an essential element in creating an optimal learning environment. The process of partnering requires commitment to the relationship, design of mutual goals and identifying the barriers and benefits of the venture.

Investment of service providers and education providers to share responsibilities and forge strong relationships can profoundly impact the quantity and quality of nursing professionals whom can function in a dual role while assisting to grow nurses.

With the creation of a career pipeline, strong candidates can be streamlined into the hospital environment.

Dual Roles

Nursing is at a crossroads with the horizon being a population of aging nurses who opt out of the profession due to foreseen limitations in their role and professional growth.

Crafting organizational attention to joint ventures that capitalize on nurses' assets is crucial.

Dual roles are one way to promote and sustain this segment of the nursing workforce. Certainly, these initiatives would only serve to strengthen relationships within nursing regardless of the setting.

As an aging emergency department nurse, I relish the thought of not having to spend all my time on the nursing floor inundated with tasks.

Instead, I envision a future in which my knowledge and talents can be shared with the newcomers in an environment conducive to learning while maintaining consistent involvement in patient care.

Colleen Claffey is nurse educator, emergency department/critical care, Jackson North Medical Center, North Miami Beach, FL.

Resources
Brown, D., White, J., & Leibbrandt, L. (2006). Collaborative partnerships for nursing faculties and health service providers: What can nursing learn from business literature? Journal of Nursing Management, 14(3), 170-179.
Donaldson, S.K., & Fralic, M.F. (2000). Forging today's practice-academic link: A new era for nursing leadership. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 25(1), 95-101.
Henderson, A., Heel, A., & Twentyman, M. (2007). Enabling student placement through strategic partnerships between a healthcare organization and tertiary institutions. Journal of Nursing Management, 15(1) 91-96.
Ponte, P., et al. (2005). Partnering with schools of nursing: An effective recruitment strategy. Oncology Nursing Forum, 32(5), 901-906.