Relationship Building Holds Benefit for Nursing Educators and Nursing Homes

Nursing faculty should use the communication skills nurses are known for to strengthen relationships with local nursing homes, advised a guest editorial recently published in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing.

“Many nursing programs are finding clinical placements difficult, yet many programs have several nursing homes nearby that are not being used…” wrote Andrea Yevchak Sillner, PhD, GCNS-BC, RN, and Erin Kitt-Lewis, PhD, RN, CNE, of the Penn State University College of Nursing, University Park, Pennsylvania. “To facilitate this learning experience, communication is key.”

Just as nurses are taught evidence-based communication strategies to interact effectively with patients, nursing faculty need to build an evidence base for communicating with nursing home stakeholders, the educators wrote. Sharing techniques that have worked, as well as those that have not, will help.

Leading the conversation, the guest editorial coached that relationship building calls for an appreciation of mutual needs and how all parties could benefit from the connection. Practically, nursing faculty could reach out to nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, clinicians, or direct care staff. Talk should be grounded in providing the best care for residents, but educators should also explain the specific needs of their nursing program.

Finding a champion within the nursing home who will support and engage nurse educators and students is important, the authors noted. “Systematically incorporating learning experiences with older adults and the nursing home setting holds great potential to expand clinical sites, meet competencies, and enhance the care experience for older adult residents of nursing homes,” they wrote. “Effective communication can allow nursing faculty to establish relationships with nursing home stakeholders and develop experiences that benefit students, nursing homes, and older adults.”

Reference

Sillner AY, Kitt-Lewis E. Effective communication and relationship building: integral components of nursing practice. J Gerontol Nurs. 2024;50(2):3-4. doi:10.3928/00989134-20240110-02