Population Health Projects: An Innovative Teaching Strategy for Baccalaureate Nursing Education.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021) include a Population Health domain. Future nurses well-versed in the social determinants of health are poised to be leaders, creating change to improve the lives of vulnerable populations. The Population Health Project (PHP) is an innovative learning experience, immersing student nurses in authentic interactions that impact the communities they partner with. Baccalaureate nursing students, during their Population Health course, work in groups to produce innovative, community-focused PHPs, successfully incorporating the AACN competencies. Students identify issues impacting the wellbeing of their assigned population; these issues become the focus of their PHP. They engage with community stakeholders, including their patients, policy makers, and community partners to develop evidence-based and sustainable projects. PHPs focus on reducing health disparities and address priorities important to communities, including concepts of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Examples of long-term impacts of PHPs include: legislative change - a new law mandating pharmacies provide prescription labels in a language the patient can understand; innovative policies - initiating efforts to create a hospice for unhoused patients; and new service provision programs - teaming with a fire department to co-develop a home-visiting program to reduce non-emergent 911 calls.

Concept-Based Learning for Capstone Clinical Experiences in Hospital and Community Settings.

BACKGROUND: Capstone clinical experiences provide opportunities for students to develop increasing competence and independence in nursing practice, as well as to focus on care that is fundamental to contemporary nursing practice. PROBLEM: Increasingly in the United States, nursing practice is expanding to community settings, with enhanced focus on population health, whereas promoting safe practice within acute care settings remains an imperative. Student learning needs vary by the clinical setting as does delivery of clinical experiences and associated programmatic challenges. Yet, safe and effective practice is required in all environments. APPROACH: This article describes 2 concept-based approaches to promote deep understanding of key aspects of nursing care developed to manage specific challenges in hospital and community settings. Outcomes/Conclusions: Concept-based learning activities, used to promote deeper clinical thinking and integration of theory with practice, support students to develop increased competence in care of specific patient populations in both environments.