Evaluation two models for delivering baccalaureate public health nursing clinical education

Background: Public health nursing (PHN) is a complex field of practice with many different specialty areas, which can make providing appropriate clinical instruction challenging. This presentation will report on the findings of an evaluation of two different models for delivering PHN clinical instruction to baccalaureate nursing students.

Methods: Two groups of baccalaureate nursing students participated in two different models for delivery of PHN clinical instruction during the spring 2014 semester. The models primarily differed in the breadth and depth of the experiences. In the first model, students (n=62) worked with a single community agency to gain in-depth knowledge of the operations, clients, and community of that specific agency. In the second model, students (n=64) spent shorter amounts of time with several community agencies to gain experience across many different specialty areas of PHN. Students spent the same amount of time engaged in clinical activities (56 hours) with both models. Evaluation data was collected through self-report surveys administered to students at the beginning and end of the semester.

Results: The effects of the clinical models on satisfaction, knowledge, and perceptions of PHN will be reported as well as lessons learned during the implementation of each model.

Conclusions: As the role of the public health nurse continues to evolve, clinical experiences developed to educate new nurses must also evolve. The results of this evaluation will provide practical information regarding strengths and weaknesses of two different ways of providing PHN clinical content to nursing students and directions for further research.