A National Survey of Collaboration Between Nurse Faculty Members and Staff Nurses in the Clinical Learning Environment.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to measure collaboration in the clinical learning environment.

Background: Clinical learning, which is essential for nursing education, allows students to integrate what they have learned in the classroom in a complex social context with an interactive network of forces. Stakeholders are nursing students, nursing faculty, and staff nurses who must collaborate in providing an effective learning environment for students.

Method: Quantitative data were collected via the Collaboration in the Clinical Learning Environment tool, an author-developed 24-item Likert scale designed to measure the amount of collaboration between staff nurses and nursing faculty members in the clinical learning environment.

Results: Three groups (n = 882) were surveyed: staff nurses, nurse faculty, and nurses who worked concurrently in academia and practice.

Conclusion: This study adds to the literature on collaboration between nursing faculty members and staff nurses. It also highlights areas for improvement for both parties.