FOCUS: EDUCATION – PART 1
FACTORS IMPACTING ON THE SUCCESS OF CLINICAL LEARNING – A STUDENT AND NURSE EDUCATOR PERSPECTIVE By Sinead Barry and Chris Martin Clinical placement provides an opportunity for student nurses to consolidate their clinical skills and apply their theoretical knowledge into practice (Siggins Miller Consultants 2012).
Several factors have been identified that impact on a student’s experience while on placement. These include the length of placement, their sense of belonging while on placement and the attitude of clinical staff they are working alongside (BPCLE 2016). Undergraduate nursing students undertake a significant amount of clinical hours under the direct or indirect supervision of nurse educators throughout their degree. Nurse educators are responsible for assessing students’ competency and supporting their clinical learning. The success of students’ learning and their perception of a ‘good’ placement however are influenced by a number of factors extending beyond the current standards of competency. In an attempt to understand factors that impact on clinical learning La Trobe University undergraduate nursing students and Melbourne Health clinical nurse educators were invited to participate in a qualitative research project. The project was facilitated at The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) in the latter half of 2017. Undergraduate nursing students from first, second and third year who 42 June 2018 Volume 25, No. 11
were undertaking clinical placement at the RMH and clinical nurse educators who were employed with the principle role of undertaking clinical supervision of undergraduate nursing students were invited to participate. Participants chose to complete an anonymous qualitative evaluation survey or undertake an individual faceto-face interview. The project explored undergraduate nursing students and clinical nurse educators’ perspectives of factors that impact on students’ clinical learning whilst undertaking clinical placement at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. The purpose of the research project was to identify factors (both positive and negative) that impact upon clinical learning. The project has provided a valuable dual insight into the unique challenges faced by nursing students, in addition to challenges clinical nurse educators perceive impact upon students’ learning from a clinical perspective. The significance of the findings drawn from this research provides the opportunity to consider both higher education and health service
providers’ perspective on ways to improve the clinical learning experience. This project demonstrates the value of collaboration and partnership between higher education institutions and health service providers to work towards improving nursing education. Potential benefits of such research extend to improving the future of clinical nursing education by bringing to the forefront current factors impacting clinical learning. Consideration of ways to improve clinical learning has the potential to positively influence the skills and performance of future nursing students to help deliver safer patient care.
Sinead Barry is a Lecturer in Nursing and PhD Candidate at La Trobe University in Melbourne Chris Martin is Entry to Practice Program Coordinator at The Royal Melbourne Hospital
References BPCLE PMF Indicator Specifications. August 2016. Retrieved from: https://bpcletool. net.au/media/ medialibrary/2016/09/ BPCLE_Indicator_ Specifications_ Aug_2016.pdf Siggins Miller Consultants. 2012. Promoting quality in clinical placements: Literature review and national stakeholder consultation, Health Workforce Australia, Adelaide. Retrieved from: www.adea. com.au/wp-content/ uploads/2013/08/ Promoting-quality-inclinical-placementsreport-20130408.pdf
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