Trying on the professional self: nursing students' perceptions of learning about roles,identity and teamwork in an interprofessional clinical placement

AimThis study aims to describe how senior nursing students viewed the clinical learning environment and matured their professional identity through interprofessional learning in a student-led hospital ‘ward’.BackgroundUndergraduate nursing and medical student teams participated in a trial of ward-based interprofessional clinical learning, managing patients over 2 weeks in a rehabilitation ward.MethodsQualitative and quantitative program evaluation was conducted using exit student focus groups and a satisfaction survey.ResultsTwenty-three nursing and medical students in three placement rounds provided positive feedback. Five main themes emerged describing their engagement in ‘trying on’ a professional role: ‘experiencing independence and autonomy’; ‘seeing clearly what nursing's all about’; ‘altered images of other professions’; ‘ways of communicating and collaborating’ and ‘becoming a functioning team’.ConclusionsWard-based interprofessional clinical placements offer senior students authentic ideal clinical experiences. We consider this essential learning for future interprofessional collaboration which should be included in senior nursing students' education.     

The clinical practice experience in psychiatric clinic of nursing students and career intention in China: A qualitative study

BackgroundNursing students face a lot of complicated situations and problems when they participate in psychiatric clinical practice for the first time. However, the nursing students' internship experience and career intention in psychiatry have not been well described in China.PurposeThis study aims to explore the experience and career intention of Chinese nursing undergraduates during their first psychiatric internship.MethodThis is a qualitative design using phenomenological approach. Data were collected through a case-study, semi-structured, two face-to-face in-depth interviews (N = 13) with third-year nursing students from a university in China on their first clinical internship in a psychiatric department. We followed the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist.ResultsFour themes were identified: negative stereotype perceptions about mental illness, professional maturation, personal development, attitude towards psychiatric patients and career choice.ConclusionsThe experience of nursing students in psychiatric clinical practice was constantly changing. This study indicated that nursing students went through a continuous development process of psychiatric care professional maturation and personal development. However, psychiatric nursing was not an ideal career choice of nursing students. This study provides guidance for educators to optimize the internship experience and take comprehensive measures to improve the professional attractiveness and professional identity of psychiatric nursing.     

The diversity of Iranian nursing students' clinical learning styles: A qualitative study

BackgroundNumerous factors, including learning styles, affect the learning process of nursing students. Having insights about students' learning styles helps promoting the quality of education. The aim of this study was to explore the Iranian baccalaureate nursing students' learning styles in clinical settings.MethodsA qualitative design using a content analysis approach was used to collect and analyze data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen Iranian baccalaureate nursing students selected using a purposive sample method.FindingsDuring data analysis, it was found that nursing students employed different clinical learning styles such as ‘thoughtful observation,’ ‘learning by thinking,’ and ‘learning by doing’.ConclusionStudents adopt different learning strategies in clinical practice. Designing teaching strategies based on students' learning styles can promote students' learning and maximize their academic and clinical practice success. Nursing educators, curriculum designers, and students can use the findings of this study to improve the quality of nursing education in both the classroom and clinical settings.     

Development and psychometric testing of the Attitudes,Subjective Norms,Perceived Behavioural Control,and Intention to Pursue a Career in Mental Health Nursing scale

The aim of the present study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the Attitudes, Subjective Norms, Perceived Behavioural Control, and Intention to Pursue a Career in Mental Health Nursing (ASPIRE) scale, an instrument to assess nursing students' intention to work in mental health nursing. Understanding the factors influencing undergraduate nursing students' career intentions might lead to improved recruitment strategies. However, there are no standardized tools to measure and assess students' intention to pursue a career in mental health nursing. The present study used a cross‐sectional survey design undertaken at a large tertiary institution in Western Sydney (Australia) between May and August 2013. It comprised three distinct and sequential phases: (i) items were generated representing the four dimensions of the theory of planned behaviour; (ii) face and content validity were tested by a representative reference group and panel of experts; and (iii) survey data from 1109 first‐ and second‐year and 619 third‐year students were used in exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to test the factorial validity of the scale. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha. Items generated for the ASPIRE scale were subject to face and content validity testing. Results showed good factorial validity and reliability for the final 14‐item scale. Principal axis factoring revealed a one‐factor solution, the hypothesized model being supported by confirmatory factor analysis. The ASPIRE scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring intention to pursue a career in mental health nursing among Bachelor of Nursing students.     

Nursing profession and nurses' contribution to nursing education as seen through students' eyes: A qualitative study

The behavior of clinical instructors, as observed by students, deeply influences their professional development. When instructors behave unprofessionally, they risk undermining the professional growth students gain from their clinical placement experience. Clinical instructors need to be aware of how their behavior can affect the students' learning process and the contributions they make to clinical nursing education. A qualitative study was performed to describe the nursing profession as perceived by students who observed their clinical instructors' behaviors during the clinical experience. In‐depth interviews of nursing students were conducted until data saturation was attained. Sixteen interviews were analyzed using an inductive content analysis methodology. The nursing profession was described by the participants through five themes as follows: the helping relationship, technical role, professional growth, working group, and contradictions and conflicts. Several examples of unprofessional behaviors on the part of the clinical instructors were reported by the respondents. The nursing profession, as perceived by nursing students, does not always reflect their expectations and their ideas related to professionalism. Universities and schools of nursing should ascertain that clinical instructors are prepared to educate students. Faculty should clearly state to students what they can expect from the clinical experience, namely, preparing students to face real working environments that do not always reflect educational philosophies.     

Interprofessional education for first year psychology students: career plans,perceived relevance and attitudes

Abstract

Undergraduate psychology students have been largely excluded from interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives. In contrast to many health professions, undergraduate psychology students do not engage in work placements as part of their degree, and many enter careers outside the health care context. However, the collaborative skills gained through an IPE experience may well be beneficial to students who work in this wider context. This research examines whether undergraduate psychology students’ views of IPE vary according to their planned career directions, and if so, whether the perceived relevance of IPE mediates the relationships. A sample of 188 Australian university undergraduate psychology students completed an online questionnaire following completion of a first-year IPE health sciences program. Path analysis indicated that psychology students’ attitudes towards IPE are associated with both professional identification and practitioner orientation, fully mediated through the perceived relevance of IPE to future career and study plans. Stronger professional identification and practitioner orientation were associated with greater perceived relevance and more positive and less negative attitudes towards IPE. Placing a stronger emphasis on the generalizability of IP skills taught may increase students’ awareness of the relevance outside of the health context, reducing disengagement of students planning alternative careers.     

Group supervision for nursing students during their clinical placements: its content and meaning

holmlund k., lindgren b. &athlin e. (2010) Journal of Nursing Management  18, 678–688
Group supervision for nursing students during their clinical placements: its content and meaning Aim To explore what situations students focus on during group supervision sessions, and what this supervision meant to nursing students during their clinical placements. Background Knowledge about clinical supervision of nursing students in groups is scarce concerning what situations the students bring to the sessions. Method Open-ended questionnaires were filled out by students after each session. Qualitative content analysis was performed. Results The content evolved as: being a nursing student, encountering demanding situations and becoming a nurse. The meaning of group supervision was captured in the categories: ‘satisfaction of being together in the supervision group’, ‘new understanding and insights’ and ‘hesitation and discomfort’. A change of pattern was found over time showing a development among the students from a self-centred focus to a profession-centred focus. Conclusion The value of group supervision as a tool to support nursing students’ personal and professional development was emphasized. The students’ great need for and lack of support in ‘bed-side nursing’ was obvious. Implications for nursing management Our findings would be valuable for nurse managers when striving for a good learning environment in clinical placements, as well as for nursing teachers, in their supportive role to both students and preceptors.     

Nursing students’ perceptions of community care and other areas of nursing practice – A review of the literature

ObjectivesTo review recent literature on student nurses’ perceptions of different areas of nursing practice, in particular community care. Healthcare is changing from care delivery in institutional settings to care to patients in their own homes. Problematic is that nursing students do not see community care as an attractive line of work, and their perceptions of community care do not reflect the realities of the profession. Understanding the factors influencing the perception of the professional field is important to positively influence students’ willingness to see community nursing as a future profession.DesignLiterature search with accompanying narrative synthesis of primary research.Data sourcesERIC^®, PsycInfo^®, Pubmed^®, and CINAHL^® (2004–2014) databases using the search terms: ‘nursing student’, ‘student nurse’, ‘community care’, ‘community nurse’, ‘image’, ‘attitude’, and ‘perception’.Review methodsAfter screening 522 retrieved article titles with abstracts, the number of articles was reduced based upon specified inclusion/exclusion criteria leading to inclusion of 34. Evaluation of the references in those articles yielded an additional 5 articles. A narrative synthesis of those articles was created to uncover students’ perception of community care, other areas of professional practice, and the factors influencing those perceptions.Results39 articles were selected. Results show that many nursing students begin their education with a lay person's conception of the profession, shaped by media representations. Work placements in different settings offer clinical experience that helps students orient themselves towards a future profession. Students prefer hospitals as a place of work, because of the acute nature and technologically advanced level of care offered there. Few students perceive mental health and elderly care as appealing. Perceptions of community care can vary widely, the most prevalent view being that it is unattractive because of its chronic care profile, with little technical skill, untrained workers, and a high workload. However, another view is that it offers challenging and meaningful work because of the variety of caregiving roles and the opportunity to work independently.ConclusionsFew nursing students choose community nursing as a future profession. They have a limited and often mistaken view of community care, and they underestimate the field's complexity because it is less visible than in the environment of acute care. Providing students with specific curricular content and employing a structured approach to preparation for work placement could help build a more positive perception of community care, leading to more students seeing/choosing community care as a desirable field of work.     

Improving the quality of nursing students' clinical placements in nursing homes: An evaluation study

The aim of this study was to explore students' experiences during their clinical placements in five nursing homes after implementing measures to improve the learning environment.It is vital to stimulate more future nurses to consider a career within geriatric wards and nursing homes. One way to achieve this, is to enhance nursing students' learning experiences during clinical placements in these settings.Measures to improve the learning environment were implemented as a result of a joint effort between a university college and five nursing homes. An explorative design was developed to collect empirical data concerning the students' experiences expressed through questionnaires and logs.The results generally conveyed more positive than negative experiences. Students expressed most satisfaction with peer collaboration, the placement's contribution to awareness of future nursing role and described the learning arena as exciting and interesting. They expressed less satisfaction with supervision from preceptor and how the practice site was prepared for and organized students' placements.Clinical placement arenas and educational institutions should collaborate closely to explore and develop models of supervision appropriate for the nursing home context, to build on existing potentials and resolve the issues that represent barriers for creating interesting and effective learning environments.     

‘Anyone can have a mental illness’: A qualitative inquiry of pre‐registration nursing students’ experiences of traditional mental health clinical placements

Nurses play a crucial role in mental healthcare provision. Like many countries, Australian nursing students are educated in comprehensive pre‐registration programmes which include mental health clinical placements. Placements play a vital role in students’ education, providing the opportunity to engage with consumers and develop mental health nursing knowledge and skills. There is limited knowledge of student perspectives on traditional placements in contemporary recovery‐oriented mental health services. This interpretive qualitative inquiry aimed to explore nursing students’ experience of traditional mental health clinical placement and how it influenced their practice and their understandings of recovery from mental illness. Data were collected from focus groups with n = 31 nursing students in a large metropolitan public mental health service. Thematic analysis resulted in three themes of experience: humanizing people with mental illness; learning about recovery; and shifting perspectives on mental health nursing. Through a positive placement experience where they felt supported and included by staff, students came to see consumers as people rather than diagnoses, developed greater understanding of mental health nursing work and were more likely to consider mental health nursing as a career choice. Peer‐support workers were an important influence on students’ understandings of recovery and have a key role to play in educating students on placement. Students need to be prepared and supported by university and clinical staff to deal with vicarious trauma that may occur on placement. Mental health placements play a crucial role in attracting students into the field, and it is imperative they remain part of comprehensive pre‐registration education.