Baccalaureate nursing education and home health: a collaborative alliance.

Nursing educators are challenged to prepare practitioners to move out of acute care and perform competently in nontraditional settings. Faculty from a university college of nursing and registered nurse preceptors from 13 home health agencies formed an alliance to serve as co-educators for junior-level baccalaureate nursing students in a 35-hour, two-semester home health clinical rotation. The outcomes of this alliance were evaluated with a qualitative descriptive study that evaluated the effectiveness of the model. Content analysis of students' journal reflections revealed that the collaborative alliance in home health enabled students to integrate practice with theory and to view the new practice environment as a meaningful learning experience. Nurse preceptors serving as co-educators in the home setting were viewed as valuable role models who provided opportunities for active participation of students. In addition, this collaborative alliance enhanced students' assimilation of the principles of nontraditional practice and facilitated the personal and professional growth they needed to prepare them for nursing practice in the future.