Literature Review 

While many problems plague our healthcare system today, one of the greatest challenges lies in maintaining and developing the nursing workforce. With nurses playing such vital roles in the provision of health care, the bedside nursing shortage must be addressed with urgency and creativity. One contributing factor to this problem is an inability of nursing programs to educate enough students to meet the current demands of our health system. An insufficient number of clinical sites continues to be a major barrier for expanding our nursing programs and thereby the workforce itself. Integration of non-traditional clinical placements has gained attention as a means to address this challenge.