Happy to help/happy to be here: Identifying components of successful clinical placements for undergraduate nursing students. (February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Doyle, Kerrie; Sainsbury, Kathryn; Cleary, Sonja; Parkinson, Lauren; Vindigni, Dein; McGrath, Ian; Cruickshank, Mary
• Is Part Of: Nurse education today. Volume 49(2017)
• Page Start: 27
• Page End: 32
• Publication Date: 2017-02
• Subjects: Clinical placement -- Undergraduate nursing students -- Successful practicum -- CLES + T student survey -- Welcoming and happy staff; Nursing -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Education, Nursing -- Periodicals; Soins infirmiers -- Étude et enseignement -- Périodiques; Nursing -- Study and teaching; Periodicals; 610.7307
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2016.11.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0260-6917

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: The clinical placement learning environment is a critical component of nursing education where Australian nursing students spend a minimum of 800 h. Identifying components of successful clinical placements for undergraduate nursing students is therefore paramount. Purpose: To assess nursing students' views of the learning environment during clinical placement with an emphasis on the pedagogical atmosphere, leadership style of the ward manager, and premises of nursing on the unit or ward. Material and Methods: The study used Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and nurse teacher (CLES + T) questionnaire to examine 150 final year undergraduate students' perceptions of the clinical placement learning environment. The questionnaire was anonymous and completed by the students at the end of their clinical placement. The statistical program SPSS v22 was used. Principal components analysis (PCA) for data reduction was run on the 42-question section of the first dimension ('pedagogical atmosphere on the ward') of the questionnaire that measured the perceptions of the learning environment of the clinical placement of the 150 final-year undergraduate nursing students. The comments sections of the factors were subjected to interpretive content analysis to create the themes for the two components. Results: Principle Component Analysis revealed two components that had eigenvalues greater than one: 'Happy to Help' Component 1 and 'Happy to be Here' Component 2. These components were statistically significant (p < 0.0005), using Bartlett's Test of Sphericity indicating that the data was likely factorizable. These components scored higher than any other related factors. Conclusions: Student nurses value a welcoming workplace where staff and educators are happy to help and have a positive attitude to student presence on the wards. More than any other factors these ward-based factors appear to have the strongest influence on student satisfaction. Highlights: Welcoming culture and ward staff that are happy to work there ar the most reliable predictors of student satisfaction on placement. The culture of a ward can have an effect on the student satisfaction rate The CLES + T survey was well accepted as a research tool in this cohort