Clinical studies in nursing: staff and students experiences of a model where there are many students on a single ward

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Clinical studies in nursing staff and students
experiences of a model where there are many
students on a single ward

• Kirsten Halse Anne Merete Hage

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BACKGROUND

• Clinical studies in nursing aim to increase the
  students practical and theoretical competence
  and require close student guidance during these
  studies.

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BACKGROUND

• The demand for nurses is huge in the society and
• University colleges are requested to give
  admittance to more nursing students.
• Hospitals are requested to arrange clinical
  studies for those students
• The possibility for the nursing staff to guide
  students through their clinical studies is small,
  
• Efficiency is an important claim on the hospital
• Many of the nurses are recently certified.

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RESEARCH QUESTION

• The aim of this project was to implement a new
  model for clinical studies in nursing during the
  third year of college and to explore the
  experiences of both staff and students with this
  model.

• How is it possible for a large group of students
  (12-15) on a single ward to experience relevant
  learning situations and get maximal guidance from
  the available resources?

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Fig. 1 The content of the new model
1 During the third year 12 to 15 nursing students do their 12 weeks clinical study period on the same ward
2 The content of the clinical studies is in accordance with the general programme of nursing education for this period
3 The lecturer from college will in this period stay at the ward for 50 of a full time position, and actively participate in the students clinical counselling
4 One of nurses at the ward has the altogether responsibility for the students, shared with the lecturer from college
5 The students are divided into four teams, together with the staff. These teams are each responsible for 5 7 patients. The 3 or 4 nurses on the team do share the responsibility both for counselling and evaluation of the students, as well as they are responsible for the nursing to their patients.
6 The students shall experience day, evening and night shifts
7 The students have to help each other in the process of learning, by supporting, counselling and sharing reflections
8 Finally the students shall fulfil the nursing for patients on half the ward by themselves for two weeks
9 The other professional groups at the ward, i.e. doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietician and secretary participate, and contribute to the students too. Other professionals in the clinic generally know about the project whenever they have duties in connection with the ward.
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Data collecting

• Questionnaire for students, quantitative and
  qualitative data.
• Questionnaire for staff, quantitative and
  qualitative data.
• Questionnaire for the other members of the
  treatment team, qualitative data.
• Evaluation of the prosess from each students once
  a week, a short written assessment

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Sample

• 42 staff (nurses and assistant nurses)
• 29 respondents
• 9 respondents from the interdisiplinary team.

• 27 Students
• 24 respondents.

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Results - students
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Results - students, continue

• The students felt that guidance had given them
  the opportunity to develop professionally, and
  that the model had given them a possibility to
  develop their nursing competence.
• The part of the model students appreciated mostly
  were their two weeks of responsibility for half
  the patients on the ward. Many of the students
  felt that this developed their independence and
  their ability to take responsibility
• Most of the students experienced co-operation
  with other students as self developing.
• The students regarded their study assignments as
  less relevant for their clinical learning.

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Results - staffNurses and assistant nurses
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Results - staff, continue

• The experiment had a positive influence on both
  the professional and psychosocial environment of
  the ward.
• Staff experienced this model for clinical studies
  as a positive influence on the students
  professional development.
• The majority participated in student guidance
• The co-operation amongst the staff members for
  supervision and evaluation of the students was
  satisfactory.
• Students study assignments were experienced as
  highly relevant
• Staffs own counselling was usually not based on
  the students written works.

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Conclusion

• This model for clinical studies in nursing
  education has been put in practise twice
• The partial goals, implementing the new model and
  exploring experiences, have been reached.
• After the first year of this tree years project
  both the university college and the hospital are
  satisfied.
• Further research and development of the model,
  will continue over the coming semesters.