Preparation and support for students in community placements: A mixed methods study

Community nursing needs to expand its workforce in the United Kingdom in the immediate future, to accommodate the requirements of an ageing population and the rationalisation of care delivery to community settings resulting from Sustainability and Transformation Plans. It has been reported internationally that student nurses do not always value or learn from their community placements and that this may contribute to an apprehension regarding working in the sector after graduation. This mixed methods study, using a survey and a focus group, investigated students' views of their community placement experiences in relation to the learning environment, their clinical facilitator and the use of a structured learning package to prepare and guide development of skills and knowledge. The triangulated data indicate that students enjoyed their community placements as learning environments, had excellent relationships with their clinical facilitators, and would welcome a more structured information package as an approach to preparation and placement learning.