Students' evaluation of the process of conducting a patient assessment

A Qualitative Evaluation Strategy was adopted to explore an early curriculum experience of undergraduate pre-registration student nurses. Open-ended narratives, in the style of Illuminative Evaluation (Parlett & Hamilton 1972), were used to encourage students to reflect upon their experience of conducting their first patient assessment using a model of nursing. A content analysis of the students' reflections is presented and discussed with reference to studies whose findings they corroborate and support. Aspects of the learning experience which influence the development of nursing skills were elucidated, together with the learning processes involved in the acquisition of patient assessment skills. Evaluating the context of the students' learning environment revealed some of the realities of learning nursing 'in the field', a lack of role models in clinical areas and the persistence of a theory-practice gap. In addition, this study shed light on the process of professional socialisation in student nurses. Encouraging reflection helped the students recognise how much they had learnt, and enabled us to evaluate our effectiveness as learning facilitators. An electic approach combining both qualitative and quantitative paradigms is advocated for holistic evaluation of the curriculum. Inferences from this evaluation may have particular relevance for designers and teachers of Project 2000 style courses.