2013 CNL
®
Summit
January 17-19, 2013
Abstract Submission Form
Abstract title: Interprofessional Education: A CNL - Engineering Partnership
Authors & credentials: Sandra W. Kuntz, PhD, PHCNS-BC & Charlene A.
Winters, PhD, APRN, ACNS-BC
Institution: Montana State University College of Nursing
City/State: Missoula, MT
Primary Contact Email: skuntz@montana.edu
Instructions: Please complete each of the following sections, when applicable. Each section should contain between 50 and 250 words, using Times New Roman, 12 point font.
Background Information:
The CNL-Engineering project responds to a recognized need for systemic health care reforms, interprofessional education, and clinical leadership at the point of care (Long, 2004; American
Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2003; Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2003; American
Hospital Association [AHA], 2002). Many students complete their graduate course of study in nursing without having had the opportunity to work closely with persons from other disciplines, which may result in poor communication, discontinuous and frequently unsafe, uncoordinated, and inappropriate care. CNL and industrial (systems) engineering (IE) students, informed through interprofessional education, are prepared to address pressing system challenges that detract from effective, efficient, and safe care.
Aim:
To describe processes and outcomes of a project funded by the Health Resources & Services
Administration (HRSA) to increase the competence of clinical nurse leaders (CNLs) to improve quality and safety of client care and the efficiency of care systems through the development and implementation of collaborative learning experiences with the students and faculty in industrial
(systems) engineering (IE).
Methods/Programs/Practices:
Graduate faculty from nursing and engineering guided the project from concept inception, through academic approvals and extramural funding, to development and implementation of interprofessional courses and learning activities for CNL and IE graduate students. Nursing faculty also determined that the capstone activity for the CNL students was to work with health professionals and colleagues in engineering as well as other disciplines to address a health care issue or a health education need identified by the clinical agency where students completed their clinical immersion.
AACN Call for Abstracts, 2013 CNL Summit 1

Outcome Data
Approval from both colleges resulted in (a) one cross-listed course on health care systems required for CNLs and recommended for IE graduate students, (b) joint learning activities for students that focus on care quality, safety, efficiency, and improved health outcomes, (c) collaborative scholarly products among faculty members, and (d) planning for additional collaboration between colleges. Over a dozen CNL scholarly projects have been completed with interdisciplinary project committees that focus on clinical service needs; of these two are with physicians, one with a pharmacist, one with a physical therapist, and three with teams of persons
(chief officers, physicians, quality improvement, and risk management personnel) from the
Veteran’s Administration. The most recent clinical project included collaboration with an industrial engineering student and an engineering faculty committee member. The project focused on improving readmission rates and was commissioned by the Vice President for
Nursing from a community hospital and demonstrated the importance and value of a nursing – engineering collaboration. Two projects with industrial engineers are currently underway.
Conclusion:
Common competencies embedded in CNL and IE curricula provide a strong foundation for interprofessional education with implications for nursing education, research, and practice. The
CNL and engineering students gained insight into each other's roles, learned from the differing perspectives on health care delivery issues and solutions, and the clinical agency received tangible and meaningful projects from the students. Research is needed to explore (a) mechanisms for implementing joint curricula, (b) the immediate and long-term benefits of interprofessional education of nurses and industrial engineers, (c) the effect on processes used to ignite systemic reforms in health care delivery at the point of care, and (d) the implementation of best practices for the management of clinical populations to positively influence health outcomes.
Educational models that support interprofessional education need to be explored and tested.
Long, K.A. (2004). Preparing nurses for the 21st century: Reinvisioning nursing education and practice. Journal of Professional Nursing , 20(2), 82-8.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN]. (2007). White paper on the education and role of the clinical nurse leader. Washington DC: Author.
Institute of Medicine [IOM]. (2003). Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality.
Washington DC: National Academy Press.
American Hospital Association [AHA], (2002). In our hands: How hospital leaders can build a thriving workforce. Chicago, IL: American Hospital Association.
Funding: HRSA [ D09HP08335]
AACN Call for Abstracts, 2013 CNL Summit 2