{"id":137948,"date":"2023-11-16T10:00:15","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=137948"},"modified":"2023-11-16T09:09:55","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T14:09:55","slug":"ucf-expands-healthcare-partnerships-to-prepare-practice-ready-nurses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-expands-healthcare-partnerships-to-prepare-practice-ready-nurses\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Expands Healthcare Partnerships to Prepare Practice-ready Nurses"},"content":{"rendered":"

On any given day in any given Central Florida hospital, it\u2019s typical to see UCF College of Nursing students in their signature black scrubs taking part in clinical education.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s uncommon is for these students to pair with trained hospital nursing staff instead of UCF\u2019s faculty instructors. That\u2019s what happened recently for six weeks when a group of 30 undergraduate UCF students participated in a new kind of clinical rotation called dedication education units, or DEUs, at AdventHealth East Orlando and Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC).<\/p>\n

The DEU model is gaining in popularity across the U.S. for its proven benefits to nursing schools and healthcare organizations \u2014 and ultimately benefiting the community.<\/p>\n

Research has found that DEUs provide nursing students with a more realistic preparation for clinical practice, leading to improved patient care. In hospitals, DEUs engage staff in educating the next generation of nurses, which has shown increased job satisfaction and reduced nurse burnout and turnover.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to capitalize on the benefits of a DEU initiative, it cannot be underestimated the importance of a true academic and healthcare organization collaboration,\u201d says Kate Dorminy \u201906BSN \u201910MSN<\/strong>, undergraduate clinical education coordinator at UCF\u2019s College of Nursing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For months before the DEU launch, UCF worked closely with AdventHealth and Orlando Health to identify units with higher levels of patient care to maximize learning opportunities for students. More than 25 nursing staff members in the identified units across both systems then received training to become a preceptor for undergraduate students.<\/p>\n

\u201cCollaborative strategy, training, and communication are all required well before the students arrive onsite for their first day,\u201d Dorminy says. \u201cThe effort is worth the valuable outcome at the end, which is a positive long-lasting learning experience.\u201d<\/p>\n