"Seeing beyond the expected." Nursing students' experience in community practice and collaborative learning: A qualitative study

Perceptions of community care among nursing students: A cross-sectional study with implications to nursing workforce

BACKGROUND

A shift of health care services towards community care has driven the need to develop the community care nursing workforce. However, challenges exist in attracting nursing graduates to a career in community care.

AIM

To examine perceptions of community care and placement preference among undergraduate nursing students across different years of study in a Singapore university.

METHODS

This study examined perceptions of community care and placement preference among undergraduate nursing students across different years of study. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the 'Scale on COmmunity care Perceptions' (SCOPE).

RESULTS

Only 31.3 % of the 501 nursing students who completed the survey preferred community care placement. They rated opportunities for advancement, work status and enthusiastic colleagues in community care with relatively lower scores in the SCOPE. Students' placement preferences and year of study were predictive factors of their perceptions of community care nursing. Students who indicated their placement preference in home-based care (p < 0.001) and intermediate long-term care (p < 0.05) reported significantly positive perceptions towards community nursing as compared to students who indicated acute care as their preferred placement. Despite pre-perceived ideas among the year 1 cohort, the community care placement within their course curriculum had an impact on year 2 to 4 students' perceptions of community care.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings identified key strategies to increase the community care nursing workforce which include promoting a better understanding of the role of a community nurse, providing quality community placement opportunities supported by preceptors who are good role models and fostering an optimistic career outlook and advancement in community nursing.

Student nurses as a future general practice nursing workforce. Implementing collaborative learning in practice: implications for placement learning and patient access. A mixed methods study

BACKGROUND

There is a global shortage of nurses, with particularly acute shortfall in General Practice Nursing in the United Kingdom estimated at as high as 50% vacancy rate by 2031 by some sources. There has previously been reluctance for General Practices to host student nurses on placement, but it has become imperative to increase placement capacity if practices are to be able to recruit a future workforce. Collaborative Learning in Practice is a means of organising placement learning for student nurses using a coaching model, that allows for leadership development, peer support and earlier engagement in patient care, and increases placement capacity.

METHODS

This was a mixed methods study using qualitative data from focus groups to evaluate the implementation of Collaborative Learning in Practice, and routinely collected audit data on numbers of clinic appointments to investigate the potential impact an increased capacity of student nurses might have on patient access to services. The aims of this study were: to implement and evaluate Collaborative Learning in Practice in General Practice Nursing settings; to explore issues of interprofessional learning; to explore patient access to services related to increased student nurse capacity.

RESULTS

Our qualitative data indicated the following themes as important to students and staff: Peer Support; Interprofessional Learning; and the Importance of 'own clinics' for students to see patients. The audit data indicated that having students leading their own clinics increased the clinic numbers available by approximately 20% compared to when students were not in placement.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that student nurses increased clinic capacity and improved access for patients. Students valued their placement, felt that they were more 'part of the team' than in other placements and consequently had a greater sense of belonging. This was multifaceted, coming in part from the welcoming practice staff, in part from the opportunities for peer support engendered by the collaborative learning in practice model, and in part from the interprofessional learning opportunities available. General Practice Nursing placements for students are important for future workforce recruitment and can help meet Quality and Outcomes Framework targets for General Practices.