A new affiliation between Case Western Reserve University and The MetroHealth System will give students at the university’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing greater educational, clinical and research opportunities.
Under the new affiliation agreement, CWRU nursing students can train and conduct research at MetroHealth’s main hospital on West 25th Street in Cleveland.
Specifically, the affiliation will align training experiences for CWRU undergraduate and advanced practice nursing students with clinical experts across specialty areas throughout MetroHealth.
“This is good for basic practice, this is good for public health and this is good for science that informs practice,” said Mary Terhaar, associate dean of academic affairs at the Case Western Reserve School of Nursing. “This is a true academic-practice partnership that will be better for not only teaching, but for patient care.”
MetroHealth’s Chief Nursing Officer Melissa Kline will serve as an associate dean for clinical affairs at the CWRU nursing school. She will oversee the clinical component of the academic activities for the school within the hospital system, according to the affiliation agreement.
“The Case Western Reserve School of Nursing is an excellent partner and we look forward to our continued relationship with them to train the nurses of tomorrow,” said Kline. “The collaboration provides excellent opportunities for our future leaders in health care.”
The agreement will provide for specific types of faculty designation for nurses at MetroHealth who actively participate in collaborative training, education and research with CWRU students and faculty. The two institutions also will explore future opportunities for collaboration.
In addition to the new affiliation, the School of Nursing offers clinical learning in more than 200 Cleveland community agencies and organizations each semester, including Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
CWRU and MetroHealth have long maintained an affiliation through CWRU’s School of Medicine and other health-related schools and centers within the university. The most recent was a new affiliation with the Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine in late 2017.
“All of that shows that, as an institution, we’re moving forward in meaningful ways with an interprofessional education model,” Terhaar said. “And that’s good for everyone.”
For more information, contact Mike Scott at mikescott@case.edu
This article was originally published June 19, 2018.