Collaborative nursing education between advanced practice registered nurses

Abstract

The surge in healthcare demands requires academic institutions to address and enhance the expanded education needs of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). Increasing cohort size while effectively and efficiently teaching students the newest best practice is particularly challenging amidst nurse faculty shortages in specialty areas. Faculty voids stem from factors such as lack of pay competitiveness with clinical positions, and a shortage of doctoral-prepared nurses seeking faculty positions. Despite efforts to recruit and retain nursing faculty, the shortage persists and necessitates innovative approaches to teaching and best utilizing the strengths of existing faculty. This article explores the collaborative teaching between Nurse Anesthesia (NA) and Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (NP) programs. Teaching areas focus on airway management, sedation techniques, chest X-ray interpretation, and ultrasound skills. Students receiving synchronous or online asynchronous teaching received overwhelmingly positive feedback from faculty not in their learning specialty. Ongoing communication and collaborations between NA and NP faculty facilitate teaching and educational strategies across programs, sharing faculty expertise, and mitigating reduced faculty numbers. This innovative model benefits faculty and students and provides a platform for firsthand collaboration among advanced practice specialties that rarely interact. These interactions foster mutual respect and prepare students for effective interdisciplinary healthcare teamwork.