AACN-AONE Academic-Practice Partnerships Steering Committee

This task force is charged with initiating a national dialogue on current and future best practices in academic-practice partnerships. The task force is specifically charged with developing a roadmap for nursing leaders to develop and sustain effective academic-practice partnerships. The task force will:

• Document the historical perspectives on academic-practice partnerships in the profession of nursing.
• Synthesize the current evidence based literature on academic-practice partnerships in nursing.
• Identify and categorize current academic-practice initiatives and innovations across the country.
• Identify the impact of such practices on academic and practice institutions and their constituencies.
• Define the characteristics of effective academic-practice partnerships.
• Identify facilitators and barriers to the establishment and continuity of effective academic-practice partnerships.
• Identify strategies for nursing leaders in academe and practice to assist them in the development of effective partnerships.
• Recommend opportunities for academic-practice innovations.
• Develop Hallmarks of Excellence in Academic- Practice Partnership that include a set of critical elements essential for the development and sustainability of effective academic-practice partnerships.

The following factors will also be considered:

• The task force will be comprised of leaders in academia and practice.
• The academic-practice partnerships to be included in this report are specific to the discipline of nursing and include those that also foster inter-professional collaboration.
• The task force will consider a variety of approaches to collecting data on best practices.
• The task force will develop a process to assure stakeholder consensus from academic and practice leaders regarding the Hallmarks of Excellence in Academic-Practice Partnership..
• The task force will develop a strategy for dissemination of recommendations.
• The task force work will be completed by July 2011.

Please address your comments to either the chair or AACN staff liaison noted.