Professional Experience Placement

A mixed method study of the quality of clinical placements within an acute care setting of an undergraduate program found that there is professional commitment of nursing staff to support the next generation of nurses.

Courtney-Pratt, Fitzgerald, Ford, Marsden and Marlow (2011) were motivated to undertake this study because the number of students requiring placement at the facility nearly doubled in four years. This was due to a range of factors including the priority to professionally prepare nurses to meet projected workforce shortages.

The study aimed to describe the quality of clinical placements provided to second year undergraduate students in an acute care hospital. Participants were supervising ward nurses, clinical facilitators employed by the University and students.

The qualitative findings indicated that relationships,organisational and ward structure, knowledge and experience were key themes. Relationships between undergraduates and supervising ward nurses were frequently mentioned by all respondent groups. Organisational structure and ward setting impacted on learning and teaching. The number of students, high changeover of supervisors, high patient numbers impacted on the supervision of students. Respondents indicated the value of reciprocity in development of knowledge and skills, gaining confidence, consolidating and reinforcing understanding of nursing practice.

I have previously blogged about welcoming and belongingness, stress and competence of student nurses entering the professional experience or clinical practice environment. These themes are also discussed in this article. The authors conclude the results of the study contribute to the feedback and support provided to clinical supervisors by communicating acknowledgement of their role in providing quality clinical placements.

If you have any comments about your experience of the provision of clinical supervision, you are welcome to post them here.