Collaborative co-op as a means to expand BSN enrollment & diversity.

The collaborative co-op is an innovative option that emphasizes cultural competence and evidenced-based nursing care. This project provides four summers of more challenging and responsible experiences to enhance students' expertise in supervision and delegation with other members of the health care team. Through experiential learning, students develop an in-depth understanding of differentiated practice roles and the distinct and complimentary responsibilities of the nursing assistant, the practical nurse, and the professional nurse through this highly structured and mentored co-op clinical experience. The co-op students complete all requirements for the BSN degree along with the students enrolled in the traditional BSN program, but they also have the additional summer clinical experiences. Counseling, mentoring, and early identification of academic problems are important features of this structured program.