Academic-Practice Partnership in Public Health Nursing: Working Together with Families in a Village-based Collaboration

Background/ Issue

To promote healthy families in a healthy community, public health nursing faculty and area public health nurses (PHNs) created an academic-practice partnership between a local public health department and pre-licensure BSN programs. The collaboration led to a Doctor of Nursing Practice program development and evaluation project connecting vulnerable young families with students in public health nursing practica in home visitation. A “village” of health resources within a geographic area support family-nursing student relationships.

Description

Nine data collection tools were developed to capture and measure the perspective of each participant group over one academic year – families, students, academic-practice partners and the “village”. A mixed-methods design, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative approaches was applied. A geographic information system (GIS) mapping strategy visually captured complex “village” data.

Lessons Learned

Young, vulnerable families benefit from student home visits, but sustaining the project is challenging. Care coordination within the partnership is an essential yet complex process. Qualified, professional interpreters are vital to relationship development with families. Linking PHN entry-level practice competency to student self-assessment may signal engagement in learning and application of theory to practice.

Implications/recommendations

Academic-practice partnerships have potential to contribute toward family health and grow evidence-based practice. Projects with shared purpose and commitment create a “learning platform” for students to experience the PHN role and engage PHNs in coaching/mentoring students. GIS mapping strategies extend traditional PHN community assessment methods and provide rich data for community participatory research, a framework for informing policy-makers, and promote health impact assessment.