The Hawai’i Partners in Nursing (HPIN) project is funded by the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the Northwest Health Foundation and is
a partnership between the HMSA Foundation and the Hawai’i State Center for
Nursing.
The project has brought together partners from education and practice (academic
sites paired with long term care facilities) to develop and implement an integrated
model of education and practice in long term care. The partners include: The
University of Hawai’i School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene with Maunalani
Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; Hawaii Pacific University with the Hi’olani
Care Center at Kahalu Nui; Kapiolani Community College with Leahi Hospital
and Maui Community College with Hale Makua. The first eighteen months of the
project have been completed and much has been accomplished.
The first arm of the demonstration project involves nursing student clinical
placement in each of four LTC facilities in partnership with a school of nursing.
Three clinical rotations have been completed by all four partners. Nursing
students in their initial fundamentals course have been introduced to long term
care and to the specialty of geriatric nursing. The fourth rotation is scheduled to
begin in Spring, 2008. Students, staff, residents and families have expressed
positive feedback about this experience.
The second arm of the project involves faculty from the schools of nursing
providing in-service education or clinical skill upgrades to the staff of the LTC
facilities. Inservice education has been provided by all four partners and has
been met with enthusiasm and appreciation. Specific areas of focus, as
identified by MDS quality data, have allowed each long term care facility to meet
the needs of staff and residents.
The third arm of the project involves preceptor training which was developed in
collaboration with the long term care partners by Lois Greenwood, PhD from
VITEC at Maui Community College. Twelve registered nurses completed 40
hours of preceptor education to become certified trainers. They demonstrated
commitment, dedication and hard work…a most impressive accomplishment!
The certified trainers have conducted classes for preceptors in their respective
facilities and those preceptors have gone on to work with additional staff as
preceptees. Enhancing the leadership skills of long term care nurses has been
received with enthusiasm and positive feedback.
Evaluation of the project will enable us to identify best practices and to make our
results available to influence education, practice and local policy development.
In addition, we hope to encourage sustainable change within each facility and
within each school of nursing.
The project is moving into the final six months with excitement and enthusiasm
on the part of all the partners. Each of our partners deserves a big MAHALO for
their tremendous effort to embrace and implement innovation and change. Their
pioneering efforts will result in benefits for nursing and health care delivery in
Hawai’i!
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