Unexpected Empathy: Students' Clinical Experience at a Newcomers Clinic

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Public Health
• Immigrant and Refugee Health

Background:

• A subset of undergraduate nursing students undertook their Population Health clinical experience in a primary care setting.
• The setting specialized in serving refugee and immigrant health needs.
• Students possessed diverse sociocultural backgrounds and varying levels of prior exposure to newcomers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical experience of undergraduate nursing students serving refugees and immigrants.
• To identify key themes and learning outcomes from this unique population health experience.
• To explore the preparedness of nursing students for culturally diverse patient care.

Main Methods:

• Utilized pre- and post-surveys to assess student learning and perceptions.
• Conducted group interviews to gather qualitative insights into the student experience.
• Analyzed qualitative data to identify emergent themes.

Main Results:

• Key themes identified included compassion, holistic care, unique care management resources, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Student interaction with newcomers exposed them to specific health needs of this population.
• The experience underscored the diversity of student backgrounds and prior exposure to immigrant and refugee populations.

Conclusions:

• Clinical experiences in refugee and immigrant health settings are crucial for nursing students.
• Exposure to diverse populations highlights the need for innovative nursing education strategies.
• Nurses require enhanced preparation to effectively care for diverse patient groups, including newcomers.