Implementation of a Registered Undergraduate Student of Nursing (RUSON) program: The nurses’ perspective

Problem: Undergraduate nursing students remain an underutilised workforce within healthcare. This paper explores the establishment of a Registered Undergraduate Students of Nursing (RUSON) model through a university and healthcare partnership. Background: Nursing continues to adapt to increasingly complex patient populations. Initiatives are needed to enable nurses to focus on patients’ care needs amidst increasing healthcare costs. This study identifies opportunities and strategies for engaging undergraduate nursing students as part of the health- care workforce through the RUSON model, from the perspective of nurse leaders. Aim: This project aimed to explore nurse leaders’ perspectives surrounding implementation of a RUSON model. Method: A qualitative exploratory design was employed for this study. Thematic analysis from a focus group with the nurse leaders was undertaken. Findings: Two key themes were identified from the analysis, i) Establishing the RUSON; with sub-themes: “Who are RUSONs?”, “You are not on clinical placement”and “The importance of inclusivity”and ii) Benefits of the RUSONs; with sub-themes: “Addressing patient care needs”, “Value to the nursing team”and “Creating future ready employees”. Participants identified barriers that were overcome, subsequently leading to the model being considered advantageous to the clinical environment. Discussion: The establishment of a RUSON workforce in acute care settings brings with it benefits to the nursing staff and the RUSONs themselves. In order to successfully embed a RUSON model in an organisation, it is important to collaborate with the nursing leadership team in the implementation process. Conclusion: A RUSON workforce is an appropriate human resource strategy, both at the immediate point of implementation and longitudinally, as a recruitment strategy for future employment. Successful implementation of a RUSON model requires engagement and collaboration with nursing leaders.