Nurse Practitioner Students Learning From the Medically Underserved: Impact on Attitude Toward Poverty

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Public Health
• Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Background:

• Limited research exists on the impact of poverty exposure on nurse practitioner (NP) students' attitudes.
• Understanding these attitudes is crucial for effective patient care in diverse socioeconomic settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of clinical exposure to impoverished clients on NP students' attitudes toward poverty.
• To identify themes emerging from the immersive experience.

Main Methods:

• Adult health NP students completed the Attitude Toward Poverty Scale pre- and post-course.
• A subset of eight students underwent a 32-hour clinical immersion with low-income, uninsured patients.
• Qualitative data were gathered through open-ended questions about the immersion experience.

Main Results:

• NP students demonstrated a statistically significant increase in positive attitudes toward impoverished patients (p < 0.001).
• Key themes from the immersion included: overcoming misconceptions, understanding healthcare costs and access, the value of the clinical setting for NP development, and student empowerment.

Conclusions:

• Clinical rotations with medically underserved populations can effectively challenge and correct misconceptions about low-income patients.
• Educational strategies incorporating direct patient experience are vital for shaping positive attitudes in future nurse practitioners.