Impacting Models of Practice and Clinical Training for Registered Nurses and Students
IMPACT-RNS is an opportunity for select senior nursing students to participate in a 150-hour clinical experience over the course of semesters four and five. Students will work with a preceptor in a rural and/or underserved community-based primary care setting, learning more about how registered nurses can practice to the full scope of their license and expand their scope of influence within the healthcare team.
What is expected of me as a student?
- Commitment to a single rural facility for two semesters.
- Must have own transportation available.
- Completion of evaluation materials.
Benefits for students who participate:
- One-on-one clinical experience with an RN preceptor.
- Exposure to rural and/or underserved populations.
- Experience in multiple primary care settings (e.g., clinic, home health, hospice).
- Financial incentives.
How do I become an IMPACT-RNS student?
- Contact the site leader on your campus.
- Complete the IMPACT-RNS Student Application.
For more information or questions, please contact Dr. Heidi Mennenga.
IMPACT-RNS Student Highlights
Read about student takeaways from the IMPACT-RNS clinical experience:
Overall experience as an IMPACT-RNS student:
Over the last few months, I have grown not only as a student in my clinical knowledge, critical thinking and skill set, but I have grown as a healthcare professional to fully appreciate the interprofessional team support that exists behind every patient. As this clinical progressed, I have come to learn that although our current clinical hours cover a wide range, it can become easy as a student to not fully grasp how care continues outside of the hospital setting. Whether it’s coordination of care, chronic disease management or even quality improvement measures, this program has opened my insight to the continuum of care that exists for each patient in the primary healthcare setting.
How did the IMPACT-RNS clinical experience influence your nursing career plans?
This clinical experience expanded my perception of the role of primary care in every rural community. Not only being raised in a rural setting but also in an agricultural state, I have witnessed the importance of healthcare reaching all people, not just the larger, populated areas. This experience reaffirmed the importance of rural healthcare and my desire to one day return to serve those in an agriculture community.
Advice to students thinking about applying to the IMPACT-RNS clinical experience:
Whether you hope one day to work in a small community or in a large hospital, you will encounter rural healthcare. In a large city, rural patients are transferred in and in a small community, rural patients are your neighbors. This clinical experience jumpstarts your knowledge of continuum of care that will follow you throughout any healthcare setting and broadens your exposure as a student nurse to a new experience.
Overall experience as an IMPACT-RNS student:
My overall experience with IMPACT-RNS has well exceeded my original expectations. I initially applied to gain a broader perspective about registered nurses working in rural healthcare, and what I am actually getting from the experience is much more. The comprehensive knowledge and insight I am acquiring is something I know I wouldn’t have the opportunity to gain any other way. I believe the amount I am learning about different aspects of healthcare and the ways nurses can impact this care is forming a solid foundation for my future career as a nurse.
How did the IMPACT-RNS clinical experience influence your nursing career plans?
I believe the amount I am learning about different aspects of healthcare and the ways nurses can impact this care is forming a solid foundation for my future career as a nurse. I also have intentions of eventually returning to rural nursing in South Dakota after a number of years.
Advice to students thinking about applying to the IMPACT-RNS clinical experience:
I strongly encourage any and all students to apply for IMPACT-RNS simply for the depth and quality of experiences and knowledge you gain that will undoubtedly benefit our future patients.
Overall experience as an IMPACT-RNS student:
I loved my experience in Sisseton as it has a very diverse population and unique patient needs. I was able to see many different aspects of healthcare such as quality improvement, outpatient, radiology, social work, etc. It gave me a very different view of healthcare compared to the inpatient setting I was used to during nursing school. It gave me a better sense of seeing the patient as a whole person and how there are so many personal aspects that influence their healthcare and the decisions they make related to their care, especially in rural areas.
How did the IMPACT-RNS clinical experience influence your nursing career plans?
Working at Mayo has always been a dream of mine but IMPACT-RNS gave me a new respect for rural facilities and how hard their nurses and staff work. I could see myself working at a rural facility in the future, if the opportunity arose.
Advice to students thinking about applying to the IMPACT-RNS clinical experience:
Don't be afraid to ask questions and clarify things you are uncertain about. Also, volunteer to perform skills to refine your knowledge and get more practice.
Overall experience as an IMPACT-RNS student:
My overall experience was positive, eye opening and educational. It has changed the way I view primary care. I saw first-hand the role the clinic played in a rural community providing quality health care to its members through not only their own nurses and providers but also through outreach providers and nurses including cardiology, podiatry, orthopedics and obstetrics.
How did the IMPACT-RNS clinical experience influence your nursing career plans?
This experience opened my mind to the essential role that primary care plays in rural communities. Growing up in a rural community, I have seen the healthcare need that rural hospitals and clinics fill and this experience confirmed that even more for me. It has verified my desire to one day return back to my own rural community as a registered nurse and eventually as a nurse practitioner.
Advice to students thinking about applying to the IMPACT-RNS clinical experience:
This experience will broaden your perspective on the importance of not only rural health but also primary care.
IMPACT-RNS Student Testimonials
Hear what past students have to say about completing the IMPACT-RNS experience and what they took away from the program that will help them in their nursing careers:
HRSA Grant Statement: This project, entitled Impacting Models of Practice and Clinical Training for Registered Nurses and Students (IMPACT-RNS), is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UK1HP31729 and title Nurse, Education, Practice, Quality and Retention – Registered Nurses in Primary Care for $2,751,222 and 0% financed with nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by, HRSA, HSS or the U.S. Government.