Collaborative Innovation: How UR Medicine Is Enhancing Clinical Placements Across Its Region

When it comes to clinical education, collaboration isn’t just helpful — it’s essential. That’s the guiding philosophy behind an initiative at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), showcased at the 2025 Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) Aspire Convention.

Sarah Lesniak, MS, RN, NPD-BC, CSPHA, and Jill Cohen, BA, presented their poster, “Regional Collaborative: Initiatives to Enhance Nursing Student Clinical Placements,” detailing how a multi-hospital, multi-school collaboration came together to redesign their clinical placement system.

Meeting the Moment: Why They Knew It Was Time for Change
URMC’s previous student scheduling system was decentralized and unable to meet the growing and varied needs of the region’s nursing programs. With 22 nursing programs and 21 practice settings involved in the Rochester Area Schools of Nursing (RASON) collaborative, it became clear that a new, more functional, and cost-effective platform was needed to ensure quality placements and compliance systemwide.

“Our current system was not meeting our needs, and there was a desire to have a system that would be functional and cost-effective for the whole UR Medicine system,” said Lesniak.

That shared concern brought together a diverse subgroup of academic and clinical partners. With representatives from 18 hospitals and schools, the group committed to reviewing student scheduling systems through a transparent, evidence-based process.

What Clinical Placement Directors Can Learn from This Process
For leaders managing large-scale, high-stakes student placement operations, URMC’s strategy offers a valuable playbook:

1. Convene the Right People
   Involve partners from across the region and from multiple program areas. Cross-functional input leads to stronger outcomes.
2. Share the Workload
   Don’t let one system or site carry the full weight. Shared coordination and buy-in helped strengthen trust across the network.
3. Commit to Regular Touchpoints
   URMC’s collaborative succeeded by meeting consistently and intentionally — a key element in maintaining momentum and engagement.

The Results: A Smart, Systemwide Shift

• 21 software platforms were researched
• 5 vendors were invited for demonstrations
• 3 finalists were vetted in depth
• 1 platform was unanimously chosen
• Full implementation across all UR Medicine affiliates is expected by Summer 2025

With standardization of compliance checklists, onboarding tools, and placement processes now underway, the region is set to benefit from improved transparency, efficiency, and capacity.

Having an electronic platform proved especially valuable during COVID-19, enabling real-time tracking and communication as student placements were paused and resumed. That experience solidified the group’s commitment to a tech-driven, collaborative future.

Final Advice from the Field
“It’s about engaging a lot of individuals across schools and hospitals and being committed to meeting regularly,” Lesniak emphasized. “Sharing coordination helps increase collaboration among systems.”

For any clinical placement director considering change — whether to increase efficiency, standardize processes, or better manage growth — this regional example demonstrates that partnership, process, and persistence can lead to meaningful, scalable solutions.

Want to learn more about this research?
You can reach out to the poster authors at:
📧 Sarah_Lesniak@urmc.rochester.edu
📧 Jill_Cohen@urmc.rochester.edu

Exploring a switch in clinical education platforms?
Schedule a virtual demonstration at collaboration.acemapp.org/schedule-demo