Mercy Fort Smith Creates Dedicated Education Unit for Student Nurses

(Mercy)

Mercy Fort Smith announced it has created a dedicated education unit that provides patient care opportunities for nursing students as they work side-by-side with experienced nurses.

The hospital is piloting the program this spring with nursing programs at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, Arkansas Tech University in Russellville and Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Oklahoma, with plans to enroll additional students in the fall, Mercy said in a news release. The 18-bed unit features a patient-to-nurse ratio of 4 to 1 during day shifts.

“Hands-on opportunities are a key part of education for nurses,” Stephanie Whitaker, chief nursing officer at Mercy Fort Smith, said in a statement. “Our nurses are excited to be part of a program that will help improve health care for our community. And our collaboration with each school will help ensure we are meeting the needs of the students and the academic programs.”

Each Mercy nurse who is part of the program will act as a preceptor – essentially a nurse supervisor – to two senior level nursing students. Initially, Mercy will provide clinical opportunities on the unit Monday through Friday, eight hours per day, while seeking opportunities to expand the program to evenings and weekends if needed to meet additional interest and demand.

Whitaker said the ongoing expansion of the emergency room and intensive care unit at Mercy Fort Smith will create a need for additional Mercy nurses and other clinical co-workers.

“It’s a real win-win situation for both the students and the communities they serve,” Whitaker said. “We’re helping to educate nursing students who will fill critical roles when they graduate. The nursing shortage is real and being felt across the country; we hope that by providing better education opportunities, we’re doing our part to fill those patient care gaps.”