Achieving Clinical Competencies Through Community-Based Clinical Experiences.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
• Healthcare Workforce Development

Background:

• Annually, 25% of US adults face diagnosable psychiatric mental health (PMH) issues.
• Acute care nurses manage significant patient loads.
• Nursing education is shifting PMH clinical experiences from traditional inpatient settings to community-based environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore baccalaureate (BSN) student nurses' and faculty's perceptions of achieving learning outcomes in community-based PMH clinical settings.
• To assess student nurses' self-perceived ability to attain learning outcomes in community PMH settings.
• To evaluate faculty perceptions of student nurses' competency achievement in community PMH settings.
• To understand student nurses' views on transferring knowledge from community PMH experiences to other healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative descriptive study design was employed.
• Data were gathered using semistructured interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups.
• Campus and clinical site visits were conducted to contextualize findings.

Main Results:

• Student nurses identified themes of meeting challenges, experiencing competence, and empowerment through PMH skills.
• Faculty themes included seizing opportunities, sharing competency, and broadly empowering nursing students.
• Analysis revealed students' capacity to develop and apply PMH nursing skills in community settings.

Conclusions:

• Baccalaureate nursing students effectively achieve psychiatric mental health (PMH) clinical competencies via community-based experiences.
• Students demonstrate the ability to transfer acquired PMH competencies to diverse clinical settings.
• Community-based PMH clinical experiences are valuable for developing essential nursing skills.