Arizona State University and Phoenix Children’s Hospital Collaborate to Launch Pediatric-Specific Nursing Programs

A new partnership between the Arizona State University (ASU) Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation and Phoenix Children’s Hospital will create new opportunities for ASU nursing students to fill the nursing workforce pipeline with nurses specialized in pediatric care. The partnership has created a first-of-its-kind pediatric Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) for undergraduate, pre-licensure nursing students.

The ASU-Phoenix Children’s collaboration has also allowed for the development of the Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program and Certificate Program curriculum for graduate-level nursing students. The DNP program launched in fall 2018 and the DEU began in spring 2019 with an inaugural cohort of 8 students.

One of those students, Jessica Wald, tells asunow.asu.edu, “For those of us in the DEU program, we felt a greater sense of accountability and responsibility for our patients. For example, we were all assigned our own computer logins, so we did patient charting under our own names.”

The DEU is structured to give students pediatric-focused clinical hours at the patient bedside at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. It’s a competitive program that requires students to apply for the program and take it as an elective course during their junior year. The specialized training helps develop nurses who are confident in their ability to care for pediatric populations.

Arizona is expected to see a shortage of 28,000 nurses by 2025 with the biggest gaps in specialized areas like neonatal intensive care. ASU’s partnership with Phoenix Children’s Hospital is part of an ongoing effort to prepare specialized workforce-ready nurses at the undergraduate level.