The perceptions of community-based organizations collaborating with nursing faculty to promote students’ public health nursing competencies

Collaborative community-based organizations (CBOs) and academic partnerships are a prerequisite for the creation of quality learning environments for undergraduate nursing students. However, the explicit nature of the relationship between academic and CBO partners is not as well-defined as the one between hospitals and their clinical settings. The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate the implementation and impact of a 3-year-long partnership between a nursing school and 20 different CBOs. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 11 CBO partners throughout June and July of 2018. Interview questions explored the collaborative process, its benefits, and areas for improvement. Study participants reported that the partnerships brought several benefits, including familiarizing students with marginalized populations, demystifying the health care system for the populations served by the CBOs, and the students’ development of sustainable health promotion tools that contributed positively to the CBOs’ overall mission. Challenges identified by the CBOs included finding resources to provide adequate student supervision and population access, and some students’ challenges with adapting to the CBOs’ client population or community environment. Collaborative partnerships were mutually beneficial for populations, students and the community organizations. These results support the establishment and long-term development of these types of partnerships.