Transforming clinical education

Would students be better prepared for the emerging health care system if fundamentals courses focused on working with clients and clinicians to examine real or potential safety risks and the outcomes of care and variation that occur in their assigned setting (Cooke, Ironside, & Ogrinc, in press) rather than spending all their time providing total patient care to one patient? Given that an increasing number of nurses work outside acute care, with the number expected to grow in the emerging health system (Institute of Medicine, 2010), clinical experiences that span care settings over time are more likely to help students to appreciate the client's experience of the health care system, the complexities of managing chronic illness, the gaps that occur during transitions across service areas, the importance of handoffs and documentation, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.