Rural Community Case Management Experience for Bachelor of Science in Nursing Students: A Focus Group Evaluation

Background: This presentation concerns the evaluation of an additional clinical experience in case management for senior baccalaureate students. During their final leadership course, nursing students can elect to do an additional 80-hour precepted clinical experience focusing on case management in primary care clinics. As part of that experience, they rotate through seven nurse-managed rural primary health clinics in Tennessee. Method: As part of the evaluation process, students and preceptors were asked to review the experiences that students had participating in the clinical. Results: For the most part, students were highly satisfied with the case management experience and thought it provided an additional skill set for them as they were completing their final year in nursing school and preparing to enter the nursing workforce as graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Conclusion: A community case management clinical opportunity in primary care allows a community experience for students that provides them with an opportunity to witness an RN practicing to the full scope of the license.