Collaborative opportunities: Working with a community to integrate undergraduate and doctoral education in community-based participatory research

Background:

Many undergraduate baccalaureate students are not exposed to the rewards of graduate education and academic-community partnerships. To address this, faculty members [also graduate students in a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) program], invited undergraduate students to participate in a community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiative in a public housing neighborhood. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the collaboration of undergraduate students, faculty (DNP students), and community members in a CBPR.

Methods: A descriptive design was used. Ten senior nursing students volunteered to participate with the CBPR for one semester during their community course. These students completed the Institutional Review Board's credentialing process and assisted with the study (from planning, engagement with the community, data collection, intervention implementation, and evaluation). In addition to the faculty researchers, a 10-member neighborhood advisory board and four community participants (outreach workers) were partners in the CBPR. Qualitative and process evaluation methods were used to evaluate the experiences of the students, faculty, and community members.

Results: Students verbalized the positive benefits of partnering with community partners and faculty in a real-world research experience. Undergraduate student involvement added richness and positive learning experiences for all. As a result of their participation, undergraduate students indicated high interest in pursuing graduate education. Community members gave positive feed-back regarding the experience of partnering with students.

Implications for practice:

Faculty should consider including undergraduate students in CBPR and other academic-community partnership initiatives. This can be an important socialization process for future clinicians and researchers to engage with community members to address health disparities in marginalized populations.

Learning Objectives:

1. By the end of the session the participant will describe three benefits for integrating the education experiences of DNP and undergraduate baccalaureate students.

2. By the end of the session the participant will identify three lessons learned from merging undergraduate and graduate student experiences in a community setting.

3. By the end of the session the participant will suggest four benefits for community partners who collaborate with students.