Practitioner-teacher model implementation within a newly integrated academic health system: Lessons learned

Background

United States healthcare systems face an imminent need to recruit and retain direct care registered nurses (RNs), driven in part by high nurse turnover rates, which contribute to substantial economic and non-economic burdens. The pandemic exacerbated nurse turnover rates, while colleges of nursing simultaneously experienced a faculty shortage lending to fewer baccalaureate prepared RNs entering the workforce. Our large academic health system experienced similar challenges while the College of Nursing (CON) rapidly increased student enrollment to meet the need for additional RNs requiring an immediate and creative solution.

Methods

Together, the CON and academic health system established a unified practitioner-teacher model supporting currently employed RNs meeting faculty criteria to fully step into the teaching component of their professional nursing practice. Interested RNs were invited to accept a formal appointment in the CON and use up to 10 % of their full-time equivalent (FTE) to supervise student clinical rotations.

Results

Of the qualified RNs (n = 300), those with confirmed support supervised clinical rotations during the first semester (n = 14) but decreased starkly during the second semester (n = 3). Post-implementation survey results indicated general satisfaction with the optimized role; however, barriers to participation were notable.

Conclusions

Challenges related to communication, reporting structure, and role expectations hindered participation and suggested lessons learned for future implementation of this model.