Academic microsystems: adapting Clinical Microsystems as an evaluation framework for community-based nursing education.
When an academic nursing program and clinical agency form a partnership to both educate students and effect changes in the health care of the community, evaluation presents a challenge for measuring structure, processes, and outcomes at three levels: student educational processes and outcomes; student-sensitive outcomes for the community; and the effectiveness of the partnership itself. This article describes how we adapted the Clinical Microsystems model as an Academic Microsystems model to evaluate the complementary processes and outcomes for the community and for the nursing program in a senior Community Capstone course. The Capstone is a community-based initiative in which students assess community needs, intervene appropriately, evaluate their intervention, and pass the initiative on to the next year's class. Although outcomes for students and the community were positive, the model revealed that developing the frontline microsystem of student/faculty/community nurse mentor was the key to success.
Thies
Kathleen M
KM
University of Massachusetts Worcester Graduate School of Nursing, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655, USA. Kathleen.Thies@umassmed.edu
Ayers
Lea
L
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration; D003256:Community Participation; D003479:Curriculum; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009042:Motivation; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009513:New Hampshire; D015402:Nursing Education Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology; D013597:Systems Analysis; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration