The trifecta: harnessing the power of philanthropy, joint appointments, and practice to ease the faculty shortage: academia, practice, and philanthropy.

Partnerships between clinical facilities and academia are critical in supporting undergraduate and graduate nursing education. The authors discuss a unique model that blends academia, clinical practice, and philanthropy and uses grateful patient benefactors to assist in providing clinical instructor support for affiliated nursing schools. The authors review the process of proposal development, solicitation of benefactors, and results of the model.