An Innovative Approach to Adult Education in a Two-Year BScN Program: Creating Partnerships in Learning

Abstract

In the program described in this paper, innovation in nursing education is presented as a response to specific tensions between academic and practice environments in the nursing field. As a unique partnership between a university in northern Ontario and three health care delivery organizations in a large urban environment, the Scholar Practitioner Program (SPP) is an accelerated two-year post degree leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Using narrative inquiry and cognitive apprentice pedagogies, SPP partners developed an experiential program in which students act as inquirers and co-creators as opposed to receivers of knowledge. Students are also immersed in practice settings throughout the program, supported by clinically based faculty, and connected, at all points, by communication and learning technologies.

The benefits, challenges, and opportunities associated with this program from inception to the time of writing are presented for the reader's consideration. The purpose of this reflection on the SPP journey as it includes faculty, students, administrators, and other partners is to inspire others interested in advancing nursing education in Canada.