Partnering and leadership: core requirements for developing a dedicated education unit.

Preparing new nurses to practice independently and provide safe and effective care has always been a priority for nurse leaders in academe and service but is becoming more of a challenge as patient acuity intensifies and care systems become more complex. Recent reports by the Carnegie Foundation and by the Institute of Medicine and RWJF call for nurse leaders to improve how nurses are prepared and educated by reducing the gap between classroom and clinical teaching and making better use of resources and partnerships available in the community. The development of a dedicated education unit is one strategy to address this gap.