SUPPORT NEEDS OF NURSING STUDENTS WHO ARE ENTERING CLINICAL PLACEMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME: A DESCRIPTIVE QUALITATIVE STUDY.

Abstract

Background: The first clinical placement (CP) can be challenging for nursing students who would be translating and applying what they have learnt from classroom to real practice. There would be specific expectations, concerns, and needs when students prepare for their CP. However, there is a lack of studies to understand their expectations, concerns and support needs before they enter their first CP. Aim: This study aimed to understand the concerns, expectations, and support needs of nursing students who are entering their clinical placement for the first time. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study design was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 16 first-year nursing students prior to their CP. Individual, face-to-face interviews with audio recording was used to collect the data. Interview was manually transcribed then analyzed according to Braun & Clarke (2006)’s six phases of thematic analysis. Steps to ensure rigour of the study was taken. Findings: Five themes with 17 subthemes were identified from the analysis. They are: (1) “From school to CP”, (2) “Working with real patients”, (3) “Working with nurses and peers”, (4) “Perception of the community setting”, and (5) “Support before first CP”. Conclusion and implications: The findings of this study offered insight into the expectations, concerns, and support needs of the nursing students before their first CP. This study highlighted the support students would need as they made the transition from school to CP, such as having a communication module before they enter CP. Nurses, especially clinical instructors, could also spend more time rationalizing with students so as to allow students to understand the differences in practice.