USF College of Nursing and Clarifire Collaborate on Student Tools

The USF Health College of Nursing is collaborating with a local software technology company to digitize nursing student assessment tools used during a preceptorship.

The agreement with St. Petersburg-based Clarifire will allow nursing students to use its automation software technology on mobile devices while tracking critical bedside protocols.

The change gives nursing students the ability to use the same technology that hospitals use to improve patient outcomes and experiences, which will provide a seamless transition from classrooms to clinical sites.

“The collaboration will empower USF nursing students with the use of technology within their learning curriculum and directly apply it to their preceptorship experience,” said Rayna Letourneau, an assistant professor in the College of Nursing.

“This agreement allows us to offer a teaching/learning strategy to students that will facilitate them meeting program outcomes and quality and safety competencies,” she added.

“The efficiency and flexibility that the workflow application offers will allow us to utilize it across many areas and were key factors in our decision to collaborate with Clarifire,” said Usha Menon, PhD, RN, FAAN, interim dean of the College of Nursing. “We’re excited to work with a like-minded company that shares a focus on technology and provides a modern approach to workflow automation.”

The one-year exchange will also allow nursing faculty to use an automated evaluation tool to assess student performance in a clinical examination.

Clarifire is a workflow software company that standardizes and improves manual processes.

Jane Mason, CEO of Clarifire and a USF alumna, said she hopes the workflow application shows students how technology can improve quality processes.

“It isn’t just about better education for students; it’s about providing health care organizations with new graduates ready to become leaders and raise the bar for everyone,” she said.

Nurse educators hope to pilot the new software program during the summer session.

Story by Elizabeth L. Brown, USF College of Nursing