Nursing Students' First Placement: Peripherality and Marginality Within the Community of Practice

A nursing student's first placement is a significant and influential experience that can be a factor in attrition from nursing education programs.

The first placement experiences of 17 nursing students at a Scottish university were collected through semistructured individual interviews or focus groups. The resultant transcripts were analyzed from the perspective of communities of practice using deductive content analysis.

Students' peripheral position within the communities of practice they encounter on placement can support learning. However, it can also leave them at risk of marginalization, which may have a detrimental effect on their emerging identity as nursing students. The central roles of mentors and liaison lecturers in supporting student participation within the community of practice are apparent.

Student experiences of peripherality and marginality highlight opportunities for practice settings and universities to better prepare and support students during their first placement. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(1):31-38.].