The Bridge to Practice Model: a collaborative program designed for clinical experiences in baccalaureate nursing.

The Bridge to Practice Model provides undergraduate nursing students with continuity in medical-surgical education through placement in the same hospital for all medical-surgical clinical rotations. Hospitals that participate in the bridge model provide senior clinical nurse preceptors whose time is paid for by the university. The university provides an on-site nurse faculty member who works with nursing education to coordinate all clinical groups. Institutional continuity and university/hospital collaboration result in less orientation time for students and faculty, more involvement with clinical support services and care management, and more informed employment choices by senior students. Challenges include recruitment of interested senior clinical nurses, retention of clinical liaison faculty, and management of the trade-off between institutional stability offered by clinical site continuity and the variety of experiences offered by rotation across several clinical settings.