NURSING STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF BARRIERS TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: A QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Background: Undergraduate nursing students face multiple barriers during their clinical posting, which stem from gaps between their expectations and reality. To better understand how these gaps arise and how they can be filled, it is crucial to explore the students’ emotional journeys, perceptions and experiences of their barriers during their clinical posting. By delving into their understanding of areas such as clinical reasoning, theoretical knowledge, practical skills, attitude, and communication and cultural barriers, we can explore the difficulties that they faced in meeting their own expectations in these areas. Aim: To explore the perceptions of nursing students regarding their expectations and experiences of barriers faced during their clinical posting; and seek suggestions from students to develop a framework that could be implemented for future batches of nursing students in their CPs. Design: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in Singapore. Method: A purposive sample of twenty nursing students were recruited from a Singapore university. Semi-structured focused group interviews were conducted. Audio-recorded discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed through thematic analysis approach. Results: Four themes describing students’ perceptions and experiences of their barriers faced during clinical posting emerged: Emotional Barriers, Situational Challenges, Finding My Role, and Overcoming Barriers. By understanding students’ barriers to learning and identifying where they arise from, more educational and psychological support can be offered to students in those areas, so that nursing students can form a strong identity in the clinical setting. Conclusion: Schools and hospitals can collaborate to create educational tools and support systems, such that students can receive a better-designed teaching programme and well-rounded learning opportunities when embarking on their clinical posting. This would allow development of more cohesive education goals and programmes to prepare nursing students for their future in the nursing workforce.