Making the most of nursing student projects: a collaborative pain management project.

A simple quality assurance project involving one facility and two nursing students provided an opportunity to meet the needs of the students, institution, nursing staff, and patients. Patients received more information on pain and pain management. Students met the objectives of their programs and also gained invaluable experience in research methods, education of staff members, and development of new policies. The facility capitalized on the findings of the original quality assurance study and used that information to make changes in the way pain was managed at the institution. This collaborative effort is just one example of the benefits that accrue when educational and clinical facilities work together. The challenge to education and practice is to work together to identify mutual goals and achieve objectives that meet educational and clinical needs. Not only can collaboration facilitate exceptional learning experiences for the student, it also can stimulate staff nurses' interest in research and lay the groundwork for education of staff to make changes in the way care is delivered.