a b s t r a c t
Nursing students' first clinical placement experience can be a critical turning point ereinforcing professional aspirations for some, and for others, a time of emotional turbulence. There is a paucity of
research focusing on students’ perceptions and concerns prior to their first placement experience. Thus,
the aim of this study was to explore the concerns of first year bachelor of nursing students from one
Australian university as they prepared for their first clinical placement.
Participants completed an online ‘readiness for practice’ survey consisting of 22 items. This paper
focuses on participants' responses to the one open ended question: ‘Please comment on any concerns
that you have in relation to being prepared for your first clinical placement’. Summative qualitative
content analysis was used for analysis.
144 students (55%) responded to the open ended question. Responses were categorised into six
themes including: Not prepared for placement; feeling nervous, anxious and worried; bullying and
belonging; practicalities; patient safety and making mistakes; and working outside of my scope of
practice.
It appears that activities designed to equip students with the capacity to manage the inherent challenges of undertaking a clinical placement may sometimes have a paradoxical effect by increasing students' level of stress and anxiety. An enhanced understanding of students’ concerns may help educators
implement appropriate support strategies.
ISSN:
1471-5953
eISSN:
1471-5953
Description:
Nurse Education in Practice enables lecturers and practitioners to both share and disseminate evidence that demonstrates the actual practice of education as it is experienced in the realities of their respective work environments, that is both in the University/faculty and clinical settings. It is supportive of new authors and is at the forefront in publishing individual and collaborative papers that demonstrate the link between education and practice.