Growing them Well: Combining Nurse Practitioner-led Children’s Healthcare with Clinical Training Opportunities

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Presenters: Jemma Weidinger, Stephanie Dowden

Organisation: Central Institute of Technology, Mount Lawley WA, Australia

Date of Presentation: 21/10/2014

Abstract:

AIM:
To describe the development of a nurse practitioner-led primary health service that improves access and reduces health inequity for vulnerable children/young people while creating clinical training opportunities for nursing students.
METHOD:
Reach is a primary health initiative established to provide a range of services responsive to needs of vulnerable individuals and to support training and development of our future health professionals. Reach is a partnership between Central Institute of Technology, Department of Health Western Australia and Curtin University. Funding has been provided by Health Workforce Australia. The nurse practitioner-led clinics focus on at-risk children, youth and young parents. Students are encouraged to have a key role in health service delivery to ensure a meaningful clinical experience and to grow the primary health workforce.
RESULTS:
The establishment of the nurse practitioner-led services will be described. The complexities of meeting the goals of Reach while engaging with key stakeholders, overcoming barriers, optimising clinical placement experiences and determining best funding models for financial sustainability will be discussed in detail.
CONCLUSION:
Addressing primary health needs of vulnerable children, young people and families are vital to ensuring we keep them well. The bonus of growing our future nursing workforce with solid paediatric primary health skills has been a positive outcome. Healthy children today help make healthy adults tomorrow.