Student clinical experiences in shelters for battered women

This article describes the critical social problem of wife battering and clinical experiences for student nurses in shelters for battered women. The argument is presented that due to increasing frequency and severity, nurses must become more aware of and effective in caring for battered women and their children. In keeping with the call from nursing leaders and health care reformers, the shelter clinical experience provides students with an opportunity to shift from a focus on high technology to community-based primary care. Students are able to function as advocates, advisers, case managers, and health care teachers, and to focus on broad concerns of daily living problems. Lindeman's four recommendations for teaching in clinical settings were used as a framework for this article.