Academic Service Partnerships: Building Bridges in a City of Bridges and Beyond to Enhance the Student Experience

Abstract

(41st Biennial Convention) The UPMC Academic Service Partnership Council (ASPC) is comprised of academic partners who use the twenty UPMC hospitals and their other healthcare settings for clinical experiences. Academic partners represent doctorate, masters, baccalaureate, associate and hospital-based diploma degree programs. In addition to our regional academic partners the council has service representation from UPMC nursing leaders and executives. The mission of the council is to collaboratively create systems which support the finest clinical experiences at UPMC, the comprehensively prepared new graduate prior to practice, and focus on hiring and retaining the most talented and the brightest in new graduates. With approximately 2500 students using UPMC facilities per semester, the ASPC has implemented a 360 student experience evaluation process to create transparency critical to ensuring ongoing robust clinical learning environments that will assist our future nurses become ready for today's healthcare environment. Students, faculty and UPMC staff nurses provide feedback on such topics as the clinical sites learning environment, collaboration between students, faculty and staff, student reception on a unit, and student preparation for clinical. The surveys provide service and academic partner leaders with feedback to enhance the clinical experiences.� Based upon survey feedback, academic and service partner challenges and national trends, the ASPC develops an annual work plan. The ASPC, chaired by a chief nursing officer and director of academic service partnerships, has implemented a variety of process improvement programs and evidence-based practice endeavors. Examples include creative clinical partnership programs that utilize specialty trained staff mentors to assist in clinical education; a documentation process improvement program to streamline the student account process; a documentation capability expansion project; and electronic health record training. The ASPC has recently embarked on a mid-level provider collaborative program with UPMC's physician services division, a universal clinical placement agreement and a proactive capacity planning program.