Clinical placement education during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic shapes new nurses: A qualitative study.

Background: Many newly qualified nurses experience transition challenges because they feel unprepared for the reality of the nursing profession owing to the theory-practice gap. Transition challenges amongst newly qualified nurses have profound consequences for the nursing profession and patient care. A detailed and nuanced understanding of the complexity in transition-related challenges during extraordinary conditions like the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is needed for newly qualified nurses to remain in the nursing profession. Objective: This study explored the experience of newly qualified nurses entering the nursing profession who had their clinical placement education missed, shortened, or substituted since they had to serve as health care assistants during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Design: An exploratory and descriptive study design was used. Settings: Workplaces for newly qualified nurses. Participants: A purposive sample of 10 newly qualified Norwegian nurses working in various clinical placement nursing settings were included. Methods: Data were collected in April and May 2022 via individual interviews conducted via Zoom. Thematic analysis was applied to identify themes. Triangulation was employed to ensure trustworthiness. Findings: Three major themes emerged: relational aspects of nursing, practical aspects of nursing, and inadequacies in the pedagogical plan of teaching and learning. The themes indicate that the limited or suspended clinical placement education during the pandemic affected the competence of newly qualified nurses. Conclusions: During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, clinical placement education for student nurses was limited or suspended owing to safety concerns. The short clinical placement durations affected the competence of newly qualified nurses, as they lacked exposure to real-world patient care scenarios as in non-pandemic times. Furthermore, our findings indicate that newly qualified nurses' clinical placement experiences provide important knowledge and insight for educators in terms of education and support for future student nurses going into situations with short clinical placement hours. The conclusion highlights the implications of the findings and recommendations and the need for further support and education for newly qualified nurses after the pandemic. Study registration details: The study was approved by the Norwegian Social Data Service (project number 396247). The registration date was 2021-11-04. Tweetable abstract: Transition-related challenges became more prominent during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic than during non-pandemic times.

An educational intervention to enhance clinical skills learning: Experiences of nursing students and teachers.

The simulation centre is a key setting for the acquisition of practical skills. However, pedagogical underpinnings of skills instruction in this setting are not always well founded. This study aimed to explore student and teacher experiences with an educational intervention to enhance clinical skills learning in the first semester of nursing education. The study had an exploratory design, where qualitative data were collected in focus group interviews involving 18 students and four teachers. The participants had generally positive experiences of the intervention. The findings showed that organisation, time usage, an observer role, re-training and structured reflection enhanced systematic feedback by students. We conclude that an educational intervention based on theoretically sound learning tools and pedagogical principles improved students' skills acquisition and gave the teachers a common educational platform.

Key issues and challenges in developing a pedagogical intervention in the simulation skills center--an action research study.

Simulation skills centers (SSC) are considered important learning arenas for preparing and qualifying nursing students. Limited clinical placements and claims of diminished learning opportunities raise concerns that newly educated nurses lack proficiency in many psychomotor skills. Accordingly, there is an increased focus on learning in the SSC. However, it has been questioned if the pedagogical underpinning of teaching and learning in the SSC is missing or unclear. At a bachelor nursing education in Norway, there was a desire to change practice and enhance learning in the SSC by systematic use of The Model of Practical Skill Performance (Bjørk and Kirkevold, 2000). A participatory action research design was chosen. A pedagogical intervention was developed and implemented in 2010 in a cohort of eighty-seven first year bachelor nursing students during their basic nursing skill course. The intervention is shortly described. This article reports key issues and challenges that emerged during development of the new intervention. Data to inform the study were collected via thorough meeting minutes and the project leader's logbook, and analyzed using fieldnotes analysis. Six key issues and challenges were identified. These are presented and discussed consecutively in light of their importance for development and implementation of the new intervention.