News
November 2011
School of Nursing Wins National Nursing Home Award
The University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing, in collaboration with Edgewood College, has been presented with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) inaugural BSN Award for Innovative Clinical Rotation in a Nursing Home.
(From right) UW-Madison nursing student Andrea Gilmore, UW-Madison School of Nursing Dean Katharyn May, AACN President Kathleen Potempa, and Edgewood College School of Nursing Dean Margaret Noreuil celebrate the inaugural award.The award recognizes creative student learning experiences in nursing homes available to students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs. The award program was developed by AACN in collaboration with the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing and the Pioneer Network.
"As schools of nursing move to enhance their approach to teaching geriatric nursing care, more institutions are looking to nursing homes as important practice sites to give students real-world opportunities to utilize and sharpen their skills," says AACN President Kathleen Potempa. "AACN is pleased to recognize this year’s award recipients for developing cutting-edge models for clinical education that will hopefully be replicated by institutions across the nation."
The BSN Award for Innovative Clinical Rotation in a Nursing Home is presented to schools of nursing that demonstrate excellence in three areas:
- Collaboration with a nursing home to foster an exemplary clinical training site (e.g., structure/process, standards, research opportunities, interdisciplinary care)
- Incorporation of the principles of culture change and person-centered care
- Use of nursing home clinical experience to integrate content related to management of older adults with complex, chronic illnesses (e.g., cancer, heart disease, dementia/delirium, geriatric syndromes)
The School of Nursing/Edgewood Colleges’ award-winning Wisconsin Long-Term Care Clinical Scholars Program (LTC-CSP) exposes students to positive experiences in long-term care settings, potentially impacting students’ career choice while improving knowledge and experience related to caring for older adults.
Focused learning is accomplished through the creation of a clinically intensive 12-week summer internship for baccalaureate nursing students. Key elements of the program include 1) scholar support and classroom learning, 2) a preceptor education program, and 3) organizational support.
BSN students are employed and paid by partner nursing homes as nurse techs, allowing them to practice within the scope of the nursing student role. Each scholar is mentored by two specially prepared registered nurse preceptors who act as clinical coaches in the nursing home. Scholars participate in weekly workshops led by nursing faculty and guest experts focused on topics in geriatric care, long-term care systems, and person-centered care. The internship allows students to obtain focused experience with older adults and long-term care organizations with significant coaching and support in place. According to one reviewer, this program "elevates the care of older adults in the eyes of undergraduates; it helps to make a statement that to care for older adults you have to be the best of the best."