Exploring clinical nursing experiences: listening to student nurses

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Practice
• Professional Identity

Background:

• Clinical placements are integral to nursing education, shaping professional identity.
• Understanding student perceptions of the clinical environment is crucial for effective training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the clinical nursing environment from the perspective of first-year student nurses.
• To identify factors influencing student nurses' perceptions of their clinical experience.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study utilizing semi-structured interviews.
• Data collected from 12 first-year student nurses with four weeks of clinical experience.
• Participants represented 21 wards across five hospitals.

Main Results:

• Student nurses reported disillusionment with the reality of clinical nursing.
• Perceived emphasis on paperwork, task completion, and targets over patient contact and communication.
• A majority felt nursing was less caring than expected.

Conclusions:

• Clinical placements may not meet student expectations regarding patient-centered care.
• Student nurses aim to retain personal values of caring and communication despite environmental pressures.
• Further research needed on optimizing clinical placements for nursing students.