Clinical Placement Among Malaysian Nursing Students: What Are Their Challenges?

@#Introduction: Nursing is a theory-practice course that requires high-quality and effective clinical education experiences. Clinical placement is one of the most important parts of nursing education; that can be challenging, stressful, and causes unpredictable changes. However, studies describing the challenges during clinical placement faced by nursing students are scarce. This study aimed to explore the challenges of Malaysian nursing students during a clinical placement at hospitals. Methods: A phenomenology qualitative study was conducted among nursing students at a public university in Malaysia. A semi-structured interview was used to collect data from October 2020 until November 2020. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Five themes emerged from this study: 1) attitude of the nurse, 2) patient’s distrust, 3) student’s issues, 4) learning environment, and 5) theory-practice gaps. Conclusion: This study revealed that nursing students face many challenges during their clinical postings. Therefore, various methods could be applied to increase the quality of practical sessions. Additionally, further research is needed to assess the coping strategies used by nursing students in dealing with the challenges during their clinical placement and the effectiveness of the interventions taken by the authority in helping the students.

Factors Associated with Anxiety and its Self-Care Measures among Nursing Students During the Covid-19 Pandemic

@#Introduction: One of the rising mental health issues among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic is anxiety. As future healthcare front-liners, nursing students are expected to perform good self-care to deliver quality care to patients. The purpose of the present study is to examine the factors associated with anxiety and its’ self-care measures among nursing students. Methods: The study recruited over 200 students in the East Coast region of Malaysia and the online survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic between December 2020 and January 2021. The questions were in 3 parts: Socio-demographic, Self-care assessment worksheet (SCAW), and Burns Anxiety Inventory. Descriptive statistics, correlational analysis, and multiple linear regression were used to answer the research aim. Results: The range of anxiety levels among the nursing students was from no anxiety (7.5%) to severe anxiety or panic (28.9%, 17.9%). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed two predictors associated with higher level of anxiety were the first-year nursing students (bb =10.90, CI=4.49, 17.30), and respondents who stated having fairly satisfied with the nursing program (bb =13.50, CI=5.10, 21.90). Among the self-care components, result revealed that higher levels of physical care throughout the semester predicted lower anxiety (bb =-0.85, CI=-1.328, -0.372, p<0.05). Conclusion: The study’s overall finding is that nursing students’ participation in self-care, particularly physical care, may help to lessen anxiety. Our findings are significant because self-care can complement psychiatric interventions for people with high levels of anxiety and is a significant contributor to mental well-being.

An Exploration of Family Members’ Roles in the Context of Breast Cancer: A Narrative Study in Malaysia

@#Introduction: Breast cancer is a significant health problem that affects patients and their family members. Family members are often key to supporting the patient. However, there is an inadequate understanding of the role of female breast cancer patients’ family members in Malaysia. This study aimed to explore the roles of family members of female breast cancer patients from symptom appraisal until the patient treatment commences. Methods: Snowball sampling was applied and 14 participants were recruited through the nomination of the female breast cancer patients. The participants took part in in-depth, face-to-face, and audio-recorded one-time interviews. All of the interviews were subsequently transcribed verbatim and analysed using narrative analysis. Results: Five themes were identified with regard to the roles of family members: 1) confirming breast changes; 2) managing personal emotions; 3) seeking the information; 4) seeking alternative forms of treatment; and 5) advocating for conventional treatment. Conclusion: This study discovered that family members play an important role in the journey of women with breast cancer from the time an abnormality is discovered to the time the patient receives treatment. During this time, many of them suppressed their emotions in order to focus on the women suffering from breast cancer. Healthcare professionals working with breast cancer should recognise and support the key role of family members in supporting women to get treatment. It is important to take a proactive approach in recognising the early signs of stress for family members and, when appropriate, offering them additional sources of support.