Partnering for health

^{Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor Megan Kakela, DNP, APRN, CRNA, and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor Julie LaRose, DNP, APRN, CNP.}

When the School of Nursing had a need for faculty, particularly in Advanced Practice Registered Nurse specialties, it didn’t have to look far for a partner. M Health Fairview, which the school has an academic-practice partnership with, was enthusiastic to collaborate.

“It is a win — win for both M Health Fairview and the School of Nursing,” says Linda Wick, MS, associate chief nurse executive at M Health Fairview. “The clinicians have an opportunity to advance their career and gain experience as an educator. Working in an academic environment pushes our clinicians to stay current on best practice and the latest research in nursing care, as well as strengthens the relationship with the School of Nursing. In addition, M Health Fairview clinicians have opportunity to identify high performing students and can help recruit these students to be future employees of M Health Fairview. The school will get faculty that are active clinicians and can help to educate students based on both theoretical foundations and practice experience. The students will also have a connection into M Health Fairview for their clinical experience.”

The school first began utilizing adjunct clinical faculty with the nurse-midwifery specialty through an agreement with University of Minnesota Physicians. Later, two practicing nurse anesthetists joined the school as adjunct clinical faculty. As the school’s need for faculty in the family nurse practitioner and psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner specialties grew, the school reached out to Wick and Laura Reed, DNP, RN, executive vice president, chief nursing executive, and chief operating officer.

“We proposed this potential strategy with nurse practitioners. They were completely supportive and just opened the door and said, ‘absolutely,’” says Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, senior executive associate dean for academic programs.

Both Mueller and Wick say this collaboration is another opportunity for the school to receive feedback on what health systems expectations are for new graduating nurses.

“New nurses will be taking care of higher acuity patients than they did in the past, and the health system and School of Nursing are collaborating on how to best prepare these nurses,” says Wick.

Partnering for health is a recurring feature that highlights a school partnership working to advance health care to improve the health and wellbeing of all.