Curricular and Clinical Innovation Engaging Undergraduate Nursing Students to Build a Resilient Primary Care Workforce

Background: Primary care health settings provide access to services for underserved populations, yet baccalaureate (BSN)-prepared nurses are currently underutilized on the primary care health care team. Problem: BSN curricula often focus on acute care settings for clinical experiences, and students may not be aware of the scope and impact the RN has in a primary care setting. This gap in experiences may lead to overlooking primary care employment opportunities. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative course that builds the primary care nurse workforce capacity. Approach: An undergraduate elective course focusing on primary care didactic and clinical experiences was created. Outcomes: Qualitative student feedback regarding the course was positive, while quantitative data revealed an above-average course outcome rating. Conclusions: An effective intervention to increase workforce capacity in primary care settings is to immerse students in primary care concepts and experiences in a formal, combined didactic and clinical course.

Automated summary

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative course aimed at enhancing the workforce capacity of primary care nurses. By providing both theoretical and clinical experiences related to primary care, the course received positive student feedback and showed above-average course outcomes.