Preparedness for a first clinical placement in nursing: a descriptive qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: A first clinical placement for nursing students is a challenging period involving translation of theoretical knowledge and development of an identity within the healthcare setting; it is often a time of emotional vulnerability. It can be a pivotal moment for ambivalent nursing students to decide whether to continue their professional training. To date, student expectations prior to their first clinical placement have been explored in advance of the experience or gathered following the placement experience. However, there is a significant gap in understanding how nursing students' perspectives about their first clinical placement might change or remain consistent following their placement experiences. Thus, the study aimed to explore first-year nursing students' emotional responses towards and perceptions of their preparedness for their first clinical placement and to examine whether initial perceptions remain consistent or change during the placement experience. METHODS: The research utilised a pre-post qualitative descriptive design. Six focus groups were undertaken before the first clinical placement (with up to four participants in each group) and follow-up individual interviews (n = 10) were undertaken towards the end of the first clinical placement with first-year entry-to-practice postgraduate nursing students. Data were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Three main themes emerged: (1) adjusting and managing a raft of feelings, encapsulating participants' feelings about learning in a new environment and progressing from academia to clinical practice; (2) sinking or swimming, comprising students' expectations before their first clinical placement and how these perceptions are altered through their clinical placement experience; and (3) navigating placement, describing relationships between healthcare staff, patients, and peers. CONCLUSIONS: This unique study of first-year postgraduate entry-to-practice nursing students' perspectives of their first clinical placement adds to the extant knowledge. By examining student experience prior to and during their first clinical placement experience, it is possible to explore the consistency and change in students' narratives over the course of an impactful experience. Researching the narratives of nursing students embarking on their first clinical placement provides tertiary education institutions with insights into preparing students for this critical experience.

Case-Based Learning in a Simulated Electronic Medical Record: Digital Health Education for Nursing Students.

Nursing graduates require competence in the use of digital health technologies. The Department of Nursing at the University of Melbourne has integrated an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) training platform into the entry-to-practice curriculum to enhance students' digital literacy. The Case Based Learning (CBL) software, developed by CSIRO and the University of Queensland, presents students with custom-built simulated cases in an EMR. Over 300 entry-to-practice students have used the CBL in 2022. Student experience, acceptability and usability of this software is reported. Data was collected via Qualtrics XM© survey. Student feedback suggests the software was easy to use and has the potential to enhance their understanding of digital health. Students suggested adjustments to the software to maximise their opportunities for clinical decision-making and improve fidelity.

Graduate entry nursing students' development of professional nursing self: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Accelerated graduate entry nursing programmes require students to rapidly socialise to the profession. Professional identity is an important element of becoming a nurse. OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to synthesise published literature reporting the development of professional identity, belongingness and self-concept as a nurse in students enrolled in a pre-registration graduate entry nursing programme. DESIGN: Scoping review. SETTING: Graduate entry nursing programmes. PARTICIPANTS: Graduate entry nursing students. METHOD: Following a pre-registered protocol, we searched electronic databases for publications investigating graduate entry nursing students' development of professional identity, belongingness and self-concept. Screening, data extraction and analysis were initially in duplicate and independent, and then by consensus. RESULTS: Of the 871 records identified, twenty met the inclusion criteria. Publications were from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. We identified one overarching theme of 'professional nursing self', with four sub-themes: 1) professional socialisation, 2) professional self-concept, 3) developing nursing agency, and 4) identity formation. Socialisation into nursing and belongingness to the profession occurred concurrently as students moved through their programme of learning. Due to the accelerated nature of the programmes, rapid professional socialisation was required, supported by positive relationships in the clinical setting. Strategies that enhanced belongingness and wellbeing enabled students to feel connected to the profession. CONCLUSIONS: The development of professional identity in graduate entry nursing students is impacted by their rapid professional transition through an accelerated programme. Students' growing sense of nursing agency is embodied in their experiences of thinking and acting as a nurse. Their previous professional identity is then reconstituted in their new graduate selves; educational programmes support this transition. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Scoping review finds professional identity development in graduate entry nursing students is rapid in accelerated preregistration degrees #belonging #connection.

Using Real-Time Data to Develop and Improve Teaching of Clinical Skills in Virtual Nursing Simulation Laboratories During COVID-19 Pandemic.

During COVID-19 pandemic public health measures, face-to-face simulation laboratories were cancelled. A rapid transition to online teaching environments required staff and students to rapid upskilling in digital literacy. The purpose of this article is to describe a model of virtual nursing simulation laboratory implemented in graduate entry to practice Master's nursing program to teach clinical skills. The model used cloud-based communication app Zoom and real time feedback data to improve content delivery, student engagement and confidence in skill development. This model was co-designed with the student cohort to ensure students, as stakeholders, had a voice in having their education needs met during these challenging times.