Schools of nursing have sponsored nurse-managed, primary care clinics (NMPCCs) for several decades. While the notion of such clinics has been attractive from educational, research, and service aspects, these efforts have been limited by economic and policy constraints. To address such issues, a consortium of four university schools of nursing was established to provide mutual support in the development of NMPCCs and the education of primary care nurse practitioners. This southern Michigan consortium was established in 1998 with funding by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and supports ten NMPCCs across the four universities. These centers serve a diverse array of communities and clients in urban, suburban, school-based, and special-needs populations. Other project activities are centered on the sharing of core content via distance learning modules across universities, and the shaping of public and university policy to improve the environments for the development of NMPCCs. The focus of this presentation is the evaluation plan for this project and findings to date. The discussion will include approaches to evaluation and preliminary findings regarding the development of NMPCCs the services provided by them, their financial profiles, satisfaction of students with learning experiences in the Centers, client satisfaction with services, and impact on the faculties of participating schools, the communities served, and state-wide policies related to nurse practitioner reimbursement. Preliminary data indicate that student, client, community, and faculty satisfaction is very high. Furthermore, center development data provide insights into the complexity of the barriers and facilitators influencing the development of NMPCCs.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to: 1. Describe the advantages of a university consortium to develop primary care nursing centers and enhance nurse practitioner education. 2. Discuss key issues in evaluating nursing centers and related consortium activities. 3. Describe the outcomes of the consortium project described in the paper. 4. Critique the presented approach to evaluating collaborative projects and nursing centers
Keywords: Nurse Managed Centers, Nursing Education
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The University of Michigan School of Nursing
Grand Valley University Kirkhof School of Nursing
Wayne State University College of Nursing
Michigan State University College of Nursing
Michigan Public Health Institute
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.