Student nurse anesthetists' learning during clinical practice: a mixed-methods study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Anesthesiology
• Healthcare Pedagogy

Background:

• Clinical practice is vital for nurse anesthetist students to bridge theory and practice.
• The demanding clinical environment can significantly impact student stress and learning outcomes.
• Limited research exists on the Swedish context of nurse anesthetist education and clinical learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the learning experiences of student and newly graduated nurse anesthetists.
• To focus on the clinical learning environment and associated stress levels.
• To address the gap in understanding clinical practice's role in professional readiness in Sweden.

Main Methods:

• Convergent parallel mixed-methods design integrating quantitative and qualitative data.
• Quantitative strand: Web-based surveys assessing clinical learning environment and perceived stress (n=63).
• Qualitative strand: Semi-structured interviews with newly graduated nurse anesthetists (n=13).

Main Results:

• Data integration revealed themes of a supportive yet unfamiliar learning environment and the significant role of supervisors.
• Convergent themes highlighted supervisors as facilitators and the dynamic nature of learning situations.
• Divergent themes included an unfamiliar but supportive environment and the experience of stress.

Conclusions:

• Participants reported high satisfaction with the clinical learning environment, despite adaptation challenges.
• Clinical supervisors were pivotal in facilitating learning, supported by pedagogical flexibility.
• Average perceived stress scores remained low, indicating a manageable level of stress within the learning environment.