Experiential clinical learning for newly licensed PhD students: Transforming nursing PhD education through academic-practice partnerships

The growing national and international need for nurse scientists to transform health care has encouraged advances in nursing doctoral programs. The Hillman Scholars in Nursing Innovation, a program integrating BSN and PhD education, inspired the creation of the Hillman Clinical Fellowship (“Fellowship”). The Fellowship helps students transitioning from the BSN to PhD gain clinical experiences as newly graduated registered nurses, thus mitigating a common concern that students are naïve about the clinical setting. In collaboration with a practice partner, the Fellowship fosters development of clinical skills consistent with Patricia Benner's Novice to Expert Model. Fellows build clinical skills concurrent with the development of research proficiencies in the PhD program. This Fellowship can be adapted by other schools seeking to introduce curricular innovations that address the needs of early career PhD students, enhance academic-practice partnerships, and meet the growing need for more clinically focused PhD prepared nurses.