Curricular and Clinical Innovation Engaging Undergraduate Nursing Students to Build a Resilient Primary Care Workforce

Background: Primary care health settings provide access to services for underserved populations, yet baccalaureate (BSN)-prepared nurses are currently underutilized on the primary care health care team. Problem: BSN curricula often focus on acute care settings for clinical experiences, and students may not be aware of the scope and impact the RN has in a primary care setting. This gap in experiences may lead to overlooking primary care employment opportunities. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative course that builds the primary care nurse workforce capacity. Approach: An undergraduate elective course focusing on primary care didactic and clinical experiences was created. Outcomes: Qualitative student feedback regarding the course was positive, while quantitative data revealed an above-average course outcome rating. Conclusions: An effective intervention to increase workforce capacity in primary care settings is to immerse students in primary care concepts and experiences in a formal, combined didactic and clinical course.