Exploring nursing students' lived experiences of clinical placement: An interpretive phenomenological study

Clinical placement (CP) is a main component of nursing education to prepare students for independent clinical practice. Positive clinical learning significantly influences nursing students' professional knowledge, skills, attitudes, and interest, while negative clinical learning may lead to anxiety and threaten the goals of clinical education. This study aimed to explore nursing students' lived experiences of CP.

This interpretative phenomenological study was conducted in educational hospitals affiliated to Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran, in 2024. Eleven fourth-year bachelor nursing students were selected using purposeful sampling. Data were collected in 12 months using semi-structured interviews, analyzed using Diekelmann's seven-step method for phenomenological analysis, and managed using the (MAXQDA software (version 18.0; VERBI Software GmbH, Berlin, Germany)).

In total, 1100 codes were generated and grouped into 14 subthemes and five main themes. The themes were caring provision under strict supervision, the new self in the new situation, attempt to improve communication skills, on the both sides of bafflement, and reliance on temporary resources. These themes were further grouped into two structural patterns, namely placement in the best version of self and placement in the rings of the care provision chain.

Nursing education policymakers and planners can use the results of this study to implement strategies such as encouragement of nursing students' independent practice, provision of effective learning opportunities, facilitation of the continuous learning process, development of professional skills, provision of direct and indirect education, and revision of nursing curricula. Educational strategies are recommended to improve nursing students' clinical competence.