The Bridge Effect
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Spanning Education and Patient Care is Crucial to Nursing's Future
BY VALERIE GREGG AND KAY TORRANCEPHOTOS BY BRYAN MELTZ
School of Nursing Dean Linda McCauley has a deep respect for “bridgers.” It is an apt description for the growing number of faculty who are charged with connecting students, fellow faculty, and clinical nurses to strengthen clinical partnerships in and outside of Emory.
At the Magnet-designated Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, for example, Maggie Gilead has led clinical rotations for students, exposing them to a variety of nursing specialties, while Ursula Kelly is expanding evidence-based practice in consultation with nurses there. Susan Shapiro works with teams of nurses throughout Emory Healthcare to grow clinical research. At Wesley Woods Center, William Puentes is establishing a dedicated education unit to pair students and clinical nurses individually to care for geriatric residents and patients.
“We have students placed in more than 300 clinical sites in Georgia,” says McCauley. “Strengthening our alliances with our clinical partners is crucial to accelerating advances in patient care and research. These partnerships ensure nursing’s future by enriching learning for students and empowering skilled nurses to answer scientific questions at the bedside.”
