Quality improvement and managed care as curriculum elements.

Abstract

The authors describe a clinical course that incorporates practical experience in continuous quality improvement, case management, managed care, and healthcare systems analysis. Increasingly, nurses need to know and be able to use these concepts; therefore, they were added to the nursing curriculum. Although nursing students are able to articulate leadership and management theories, their ability to apply them is limited by lack of experience. This course is designed to provide a practical experience base that students may draw from upon entry into practice.