Population Health Projects: An Innovative Teaching Strategy for Baccalaureate Nursing Education

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021) include a Population Health domain. Future nurses well-versed in the social determinants of health are poised to be leaders, creating change to improve the lives of vulnerable populations. The Population Health Project (PHP) is an innovative learning experience, immersing student nurses in authentic interactions that impact the communities they partner with. Baccalaureate nursing students, during their Population Health course, work in groups to produce innovative, community-focused PHPs, successfully incorporating the AACN competencies. Students identify issues impacting the wellbeing of their assigned population; these issues become the focus of their PHP. They engage with community stakeholders, including their patients, policy makers, and community partners to develop evidence-based and sustainable projects. PHPs focus on reducing health disparities and address priorities important to communities, including concepts of diversity, inclusion, and equity. Examples of long-term impacts of PHPs include: legislative change – a new law mandating pharmacies provide prescription labels in a language the patient can understand; innovative policies – initiating efforts to create a hospice for unhoused patients; and new service provision programs – teaming with a fire department to co-develop a home-visiting program to reduce non-emergent 911 calls.