Perceptions of nursing student clinical placement experiences

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Development
• Clinical Placements

Background:

• The United States is experiencing an unprecedented shortage of registered nurses (RNs).
• Educating more RNs is hindered by insufficient clinical placement opportunities and a lack of preceptors for nursing students.
• Hospital personnel coordinating student placements face significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine issues in nursing education related to student clinical placement.
• To understand the experiences of hospital personnel coordinating nursing student clinical placements.
• To identify barriers and facilitators impacting the clinical placement process.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study design.
• Involved 15 state-wide participants responsible for coordinating nursing student clinical placements.
• Data analysis focused on emergent themes from participant experiences.

Main Results:

• Identified lack of consistent terminology and definitions for student and preceptor roles.
• Explored preferences for clinical scholars and the site placement process.
• Examined rewards and dissatisfiers associated with supervising nursing students.

Conclusions:

• Addressing inconsistent terminology and defining roles are crucial for effective clinical placements.
• Strategies are needed to improve the process of securing clinical placements and supporting preceptors.
• Recommendations for change were developed based on identified issues and suggested strategies.