Career and academic fusion: Establishment of a dedicated education unit (DEU)

Victoria Morell

Director Career Services and Talent Partner, Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of EAB.

Healthcare education provides students the unique opportunity to experience a glimpse into their future professional careers through required clinical rotations. In very few other professions are students learning alongside future colleagues, interacting with actual consumers (patients), and networking with leaders and key decision makers. For these reasons, clinical education is vital to students’ socialization, critical thinking, and integration into the workforce, but as an industry, the traditional model of undergraduate nurse clinical education often falls short.

The current undergraduate clinical model at The Christ College of Nursing & Health Sciences exhibits the following challenges:

• Disconnect between education and healthcare industries: instructor expectations vary from manager/unit staff expectations
• Difficult to manage: complexities in placement, scheduling, and educational priorities create barriers to effective student learning
• Application of theory to practice: gaps in current industry knowledge and student-to-instructor ratios hinder students’ ability to practice skills and immerse into the role

My colleagues and I are proposing a dedicated education unit (DEU) model to enhance career and academic fusion and establish The Christ College graduates as the region’s most career-ready nursing and health sciences professionals. The expected outcomes of the DEU model, based on research and like institutions’ own implementations, are as follows:

• Enhanced skill support through a dedicated 1:1 or 1:2 preceptor ratio
• Improved understanding of didactic concepts
• Enhanced networking and career exploration
• Enriched sense of inclusion and belonging as part of The Christ Hospital team

The DEU will require a division of responsibilities from clinical & career faculty and employer faculty including instruction and curriculum management in line with accreditation standards and Ohio Board of Nursing requirements, situational case studies based on the DEU patient population, professional behavior and career coaching, management oversight of the DEU, and current industry best practice education. We are connecting with local hospitals that have successfully implemented this model and continuing to learn from the student perception outcomes data from the University of Portland and St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s programs.

Since we are a part of The Christ Hospital Health Network, the DEU would serve as a tangible showcase of this partnership to potential students, donors, and other distinguished community stakeholders. The partnership enhances the student experience by way of training from the region’s # 1 hospital and assists The Christ Hospital Health Network in recruiting and retention efforts. We are hopeful the DEU will welcome students as important and valued team members at The Christ Hospital Health Network, establish clearly defined roles and responsibilities through learning from consistent preceptors, and foster a unit-wide commitment to teaching the next generation of healthcare professionals.

This fellowship provided me with an avenue to collect ideas and research on this topic and present it to the decision makers of my institution. The sessions engaged me in subject matter that will further my career in higher education, guide my future decision making, and boost my confidence as a rising higher education leader at The Christ College of Nursing & Health Sciences. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn with colleagues and for my institution’s acknowledgment of my future potential.