Nursing faculty and RN-BSN students developing collaborative partnerships: Implementing innovative projects to create a culture of health in New York City

Abstract

The City University of New York School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) nursing faculty used the IOM Future
of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health Report recommendations and the Culture of Health framework from
the RWJF foundation as a guide in the placement of RN to BS in nursing students with organizations in the
community to complete their Capstone Projects. Aim: To focus to engage students in relevant activities and to best
prepare them for the future health care needs of the community. A major consideration was to collaborate with
community organizations that meet the needs of diverse populations, recognize social determinants of health, focus
on health promotion and thus help create a Culture of Health. This can be accomplished by providing students an
opportunity to design and implement innovative projects. The CUNY SPS nursing program’s Capstone Projects
requires that students design an individual and/or team project designed to improve patient /community health
outcomes. The entire project or elements of it may involve safety and quality improvement for patients and/or
communities. These projects are improving access to health care services, patient safety, advanced care planning and
shared decision making, chronic disease management, and addressing the health care and safety needs of senior
citizens in their homes and communities. Many of these projects lead to creating a Culture of Health for the
communities that patients, adults, children, and senior citizens live in. Nursing leaders in both settings have a long
tradition of partnering with very little replicable evidence to support their efforts. It is critical that future initiatives
evaluate the effectiveness of these partnerships, not only to ensure quality of patient outcomes but also to maximize
efforts at building capacity for tomorrow's workforce.