Developing clinical partnerships.
In your text, Teaching in Nursing and the Role of the Nurse Educator, the authors examine several different types of clinical partnerships and models of clinical education. Clinical partnerships must meet the needs of the educational institution and the clinical agency. Colleges of nursing often compete for the same clinical slots and are dependent on effective clinical partnerships. Sustaining good relationships are critical to providing optimal learning experiences for students. There is typically a clinical coordinator at the college and another at the clinical agency. The nurses in these leadership positions have the primary responsibility for negotiating partnerships and determining clinical placement.
Put yourself in the place of one of these two individuals (academic or agency coordinator), whichever you prefer. Conduct research to better learn the roles, responsibilities, and challenges of the position. In addition to the book, which is fairly theoretical, find articles that might direct you in a more practical way as you negotiated clinical partnerships from either position.
Sample Solution
The roles and responsibilities of a clinical coordinator in nursing education can vary depending on the specific institution and setting. However, some common responsibilities include:
- Negotiating clinical partnerships: This involves working with clinical agencies to develop agreements that meet the needs of both the educational institution and the agency.
- Determining clinical placements: This involves matching students with clinical agencies that offer the best learning experiences for their specific needs and interests.
Full Answer Section
- Monitoring student progress: This involves visiting students in their clinical placements to provide support and guidance.
- Advocating for students: This involves working with clinical agencies to ensure that students receive a safe and supportive learning environment.
- Managing budgets and resources: This involves allocating resources such as clinical time and funding to ensure that students have the resources they need to succeed.
- Managing competing demands: Clinical coordinators must often balance the competing demands of students, faculty, clinical agencies, and administrators.
- Negotiating clinical partnerships: This can be a challenging process, as clinical agencies may have different priorities than educational institutions.
- Determining clinical placements: This can be a challenging process, as there may not be enough clinical placements available to meet the needs of all students.
- Monitoring student progress: This can be a challenging process, as clinical coordinators may not have the time or resources to visit students in their clinical placements as often as they would like.
- Advocating for students: This can be a challenging process, as clinical agencies may not always be willing to make changes to accommodate the needs of students.
- "The Clinical Coordinator's Role in Nursing Education" by Susan M. Smith (2017)
- "Negotiating Clinical Partnerships: A Guide for Nurse Educators" by Mary K. Buresh and Susan J. Gordon (2016)
- "The Challenges of Being a Clinical Coordinator in Nursing Education" by Karen B. Stevens (2015)
- "Succeeding as a Clinical Coordinator in Nursing Education" by Nancy E. Mentes (2014)