Enhancing Community Education Through Innovative Teaching Strategies in a Baccalaureate Nursing Program

Background: Nurse educators are relentlessly in search of innovative measures that enhance student learning and offer opportunities that prepare them for clinical practice. Collaborative opportunities between schools of nursing and community settings are beneficial for students and the community. Method: One strategy was developed by a southeastern baccalaureate nursing program through the assistance of the National Institutes of Health mini-grants program, related to their Safe Sleep campaign. Safe Sleep subject matter was integrated into the curriculum, where students learned content, developed teaching strategies, and taught community members components of Safe Sleep. Results: The project provided faculty and baccalaureate nursing students with an opportunity to implement a community outreach education project addressing Safe Sleep. Students learned cultural assessment, teaching, and communication skills, and community members benefited from learned knowledge of health promotion programs. Conclusion: Future educational outreach projects are recommended to further examine program effectiveness and the value of teaching-learning strategies.