Tampa, FL (February 15, 2011) – The University of South Florida College of Nursing announced today that it will add Sarasota Memorial Health Care System as a new Clinical Collaborative partner. This expansion supports the USF Sarasota/Manatee “Blueprint for Health Professions Education at USF Sarasota/Manatee,” a project funded by the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to assess how best to serve the local community’s health professions education needs and lay the groundwork for future academic programming.

In summer 2011, a new team of 12 undergraduate nursing students will be created and will conduct all clinical training at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. The Clinical Collaborative model, launched by USF Nursing in 2001 in partnership with 10 health care hospitals/systems, facilitates practice collaboration among health care facilities in the West Central Florida area and provides clinical training preparation of undergraduate nursing students. It enables students to learn essential nursing skills in a one-on-one mentorship under the guidance of an experienced nurse preceptor at a collaborative partner hospital. 

“USF Nursing has received national attention for our Clinical Collaborative model of baccalaureate education, and it has proven to be very successful over the past ten years for both the College and our collaborative partners,” said Dianne Morrison-Beedy PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, dean of the USF College of Nursing and senior associate vice president of USF Health. “Adding this new clinical site is a natural outgrowth of our strong continuing relationship with Sarasota Memorial Hospital and USF Sarasota-Manatee’s campus. ”

L to R: Dr. Arthur Guilford, regional chancellor for USF Sarasota/Manatee; Jean Marie Lucas, director Medical-Surgical Division, Education, Clinical Practice and Research, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System; and Dr. Dianne Morrison-Beedy, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the College of Nursing.

The Clinical Collaborative Preceptor Partnership model has formed a network that bridges traditional institutional boundaries and enlists cooperation among area hospitals and USF Nursing. Generating cooperative educational opportunities, the Clinical Collaborative has increased and enhanced the professional nurse experiences throughout the Tampa Bay area. Sarasota Memorial Health Care System joins our other Clinical Collaborative partners in the area at:  All Children’s Hospital, Bayfront Hospital, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, Morton Plant Mease Hospitals, Shriners Hospital for Children, South Florida Baptist Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospitals, Tampa General Hospital and University Community Hospitals.

“We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with both USF Tampa and USF Sarasota-Manatee. Many of our nurses have obtained a fine educational experience through the USF College of Nursing programs. In fact, we have several nurses currently completing a doctoral program at the USF College of Nursing in Tampa,” said Jean Marie Lucas, ARNP, MSN, MBA, CEN, Director Medical-Surgical Division, Education, Clinical Practice and Research, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. “We believe that this project will serve our hospital and our community well and we are pleased to be a clinical partner in this collaborative effort.”

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has been designated a “Magnet” hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Widely accepted as the gold standard of patient care, Magnet is a 4-year designation awarded sparingly to hospitals that demonstrate excellence and professionalism in nursing. Just 5 percent of U.S. hospitals have earned Magnet designation – and only 300 worldwide.

A unique feature that distinguishes the Clinical Collaborative model from other traditional models is that students complete the majority of their clinical experience at a single health care organization or team of hospitals. The students learn at the side of their preceptor, and the clinical faculty supports the preceptors by continually rounding on the dyads. The preceptor serves as a role model for professional nursing practice, engages students in aspects of patient care management appropriate to their level of study, and reinforces classroom learning through clinical skills. Students advance through their program of study as a cohort in a single hospital team, establishing a bond with each other, their preceptors, and their health care system. This Clinical Collaborative model helps facilitate the recruitment of students to that hospital as they enter into practice after graduation.

“We are incredibly pleased with this high level collaboration and education to the community,” said Dr. Arthur Guilford, regional chancellor for USF Sarasota-Manatee. “The need for highly educated nurses is one of the first things we have found in our assessment study and we are excited to help facilitate the training that enables USF nursing graduates to be among the most sought after in the country.”

* * *

USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School Physical of Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. With more than $394.1 million in research grants and contracts in FY2009/2010, the University of South Florida is a high impact global research university.

* * *

USF Sarasota-Manatee is a comprehensive university for those interested in pursuing a baccalaureate or master’s degree, professional certification, or continuing education credit.  USFSM offers the prestige of a nationally ranked research university with the convenience of a hometown university, including classes in south Sarasota County.

                                                                                                     * * *

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional referral center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of inpatient, outpatient and extended care services, with more than 700,000 patient visits a year. Sarasota Memorial’s 806-bed acute care hospital has been recognized repeatedly as one of the nation’s largest, safest and best, with superior patient outcomes and a complete continuum of outpatient services — from urgent care walk-in clinics and physician groups, laboratory and diagnostic imaging centers, to home health and skilled nursing & rehabilitation.

Media contact:
Ashlea Hudak, College of Nursing Communications
(813)396-9642 or ahudak@health.usf.edu