Meeting the needs for nursing faculty: A service/education collaboration

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) is located on the New Hampshire/Vermont border and is a rural academic medical center, predominantly serving patients in New Hampshire and eastern Vermont. Nursing is well supported here, as evidenced by DHMC being named the first Magnet Organization in New Hampshire in December 2003. Long-standing educational affiliations exist between the institution and surrounding schools of nursing. The relationship with these schools, both baccalaureate and associate degree programs, had always been cordial and collaborative. However, these relationships eroded from a robust status to a maintenance status as a result of the fact that, prior to 1999, the practice was to hire experienced nurses and rarely new graduates. By 1999, the availability of experienced registered nurses had declined, so the hiring policy was rescinded and new graduates were brought into the institution. A precursor to the success of this hiring plan was to develop stronger and even more collegial relationships with all the schools.