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Clinical imprinting: the impact of early clinical learning on career long professional development in nursing

Nicola Andrew1

  • 1School of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 OBA, United Kingdom.

Nurse Education in Practice
|September 15, 2012
PubMed

The literature recognises a relationship between clinical experience and a successful undergraduate experience in nursing; however what constitutes an effective approach remains the subject of debate, particularly in relation to first year of learning. There is evidence from a biological standpoint that early experience impacts on the behavioural development of animals, described by Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989) as 'imprinting'. The concept of imprinting has resonance for nursing. In this article the importance of 'getting it right at the beginning' is explored and what, if anything, Lorenz's theory tells us about the impact of early clinical learning on subsequent professional development.

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