One successful partnership experience often leads to another. And that’s certainly been the case for Davenport University’s College of Health Professions and Metro Health.

Last year, the two organizations began a program to provide Davenport nursing students with the opportunity to gain clinical experience in Metro’s operating rooms. The program was recently expanded upon when Metro became one of the newest locations where Davenport students can complete their senior-year leadership clinical requirements.

Similar to a partnership with Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, these clinical experiences are a win-win that “gives Metro Health a chance to check out Davenport students and our students a chance to check out Metro for possible employment after graduation,” says Amy Stahley, Ph.D., MSN, RN, Davenport associate dean for nursing.

Gaining momentum with new clinical models

The next collaboration began this fall when Metro asked Davenport to co-sponsor and host a symposium focused on new models of clinical education for undergraduate nursing students. This comes at a time when new clinical models are a hot topic as healthcare practice continues to shift from predominantly acute care to more community-based settings and telemedicine.

Healthcare providers and faculty from various universities from across the state of Michigan gathered at Davenport’s Grand Rapids campus for the symposium. Attendees explored how clinical education might be reimagined to better prepare nurses for the emerging requirements of 21^st-century healthcare. Davenport’s Registered Nurse Primary Care (RNPC) program was showcased as one innovative solution. The RNPC program, which is being delivered in partnership with the Wyoming, Mich. Veterans Affairs Clinic, provides nursing students with the opportunity to gain clinical experience in a primary care setting.

“Metro came to us with the opportunity to present what we’re doing with the VA because they saw value in sharing how the development of knowledge from this clinical study can be transposed into other community settings,” reports Stahley.

What’s next

Following close on the heels of a successful symposium, Stahley and Karen Daley, Ph.D., RN, dean of the College of Health Professions, have been invited to present the RNPC program once more. The next presentation is set to take place during the Central Regional Undergraduate Nursing Clinical Education networking event on Nov. 22 at Mid Michigan College.

Stahley strongly believes that Davenport University, in partnership with leading Michigan healthcare organizations such as Metro Health, plays a crucial role in building a culture of health for the future. “The work we’re doing is being recognized as an example of how nursing education can have a positive impact on the transformation of healthcare in primary care settings,” she notes.

Learn more about Davenport’s healthcare degrees or check out all of the latest CoHP news.