Earlier this year, Level 4 nursing students from Western New Mexico University launched a high-impact clinical collaboration with Gila Regional Medical Center centered on the Strive for 5 Initiative. The partnership represents a sophisticated integration of academic rigor and frontline healthcare, aimed at enhancing patient safety and clinical outcomes through five core pillars of nursing excellence.
The Strive for 5 program focuses on critical areas of acute care: medication accuracy, falls prevention, infection control, effective communication during hand-offs and patient-centered rounding. For the Level 4 students—who are in their next-to-final semester before graduation and then passing the licensure exam required to enter the workforce as registered nurses—this initiative serves as a definitive clinical experience that integrates complex theory and high-stakes practice.
During the “Strive for 5” rotations, students are instrumental in:
- Conducting Purposeful Hourly Rounding: Reducing call-light frequency and increasing patient satisfaction.
- Implementing Enhanced Fall Protocols: Utilizing “Yellow Leaf” identifiers and bed-alarm monitoring to protect vulnerable patients.
- Optimizing Bedside Shift Reports: Using the SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) framework to ensure no critical data is lost during shift changes.
“Our students are entering a healthcare landscape that demands immediate readiness and a high level of critical thinking,” said Associate Professor of Nursing, Associate Dean for the School of Nursing & Kinesiology Kimberly Petrovic, PhD, RN. By engaging with the Strive for 5 goals at a regional trauma center like GRMC, our students are proving they can handle the complexities of modern healthcare while maintaining a compassionate, human-centered approach.”
Under the mentorship of GRMC’s veteran nursing staff and WNMU clinical instructors, students take lead roles in implementing evidence-based protocols. The collaboration ensures that the next generation of healthcare providers is proficient in technical skills and deeply ingrained in the culture of safety that defines Gila Regional.
“The students bring a fresh energy and a commitment to the latest evidence-based practices,” said WNMU Nursing Instructor Joline Lowe, RN, MSN-Ed., DNP(c), who serves as one of the clinical instructors. “Their participation in Strive for 5 isn’t just a learning exercise; it is an active contribution to the safety and well-being of our patients in Silver City.”
“As these Level 4 students prepare for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam and their subsequent professional careers, the Strive for 5 program stands as a hallmark of their preparation. The success of this cohort reinforces the shared commitment of WNMU and GRMC to provide the highest standard of care to the residents of Southwest New Mexico,” Petrovic said.