Whether it is called a nursing lab, clinical resource center, or something else, the need to have a place where students can observe and practice clinical skills before entering the actual clinical setting is critical. Surprisingly, nothing could be found in the literature that describes the physical structure, resources, budget, or administration of these centers. To better understand the "state of the art" of clinical resource centers in schools and colleges in the United States, a national survey was developed and administered. The findings are useful for evaluation and planning purposes by clinical resource center directors and nursing program administrators.
Faculty at the University of Southern Maine College of Nursing and Health Care Professions developed a servicelearning course that connected students and faculty with at-risk children in a local community. Nursing students, with faculty supervision and support, developed, implemented, and evaluated interventions to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors to build and strengthen the participants' resiliency.
Students enrolled in the service-learning course worked in the community where they gained an understanding of what it was like for children and adolescents to live in an impoverished community setting with disorganized family units and weak community support. The students learned to collaborate with police, schools, public health nurses, and churches, as well as students in other major programs. The benefits of this course for students and the community were far reaching and even life changing.
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