Keywords

academic-clinical partnership, clinical education, dedicated education unit, nursing students, standardized tests

 

Authors

  1. Smyer, Tish DNSc, RN, CNE

Abstract

Critical thinking, nursing process, quality and safety measures, and standardized RN exit examination scores were compared between students (n = 144) placed in a dedicated education unit (DEU) and those in a traditional clinical model. Standardized test scores showed that differences between the clinical groups were not statistically significant. This study shows that the DEU model is 1 approach to clinical education that can enhance students' academic outcomes.