An Evaluation of Bachelor of Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Clinical Placement experiences.
Authors: Lansdown Jennifer , Milligan Kaye , Marshall Helen , Hamlin Michael 
Published: December 2024

Background: The COVID-19 global pandemic had positive and negative impacts on health care workers, including student nurses. Different clinical areas provide unique learning opportunities, with students reporting varying levels of satisfaction across their different clinical placements in the years prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Longitudinal data evaluating clinical experiences was collected from 2017 until 2022. Aim: This evaluation sought to determine the pandemic’s impact on student nurses’ perceptions of their clinical experience and identify which clinical learning environments provided optimal learning experiences. Methods: The study analysed 2,012 datasets using quantitative statistical analysis with a descriptive cross-sectional design. Bachelor of Nursing students at Ara Institute of Canterbury Limited (ARA) completed the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale (CLES+T) survey after completion of their clinical placements. Findings: Students rated their clinical learning experiences highly (mean 4.5 ±0.5), with no impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the transition to practice (transition) placement was viewed more positively than other clinical areas, and while statistically significant, in this particular context, this difference was deemed to be trivial. This might be attributed to students’ increased readiness to practice in their final semester and having some choice in placement location. Implications for practice: Nursing management from both clinical providers and tertiary institutions should address lower-scored areas through enhanced preparatory education. Feedback from students can guide nursing management in performance reviews of tertiary and clinical staff, and support nurses and educators to provide quality clinical experiences. Consideration of an alternative questionnaire may improve amount and quality of information gathered to better guide the tertiary institutions and clinical providers. Collaboration between clinical providers and academic institutions as well as building resilience and willingness to change when major events occur are opportunities for consideration, as well as more robust orientation periods within the clinical setting to allow for a better settling in period for students. Early identification and workload support for preceptors, along with robust post-placement debriefings, can help students better connect theory with practice. Te Reo Māori Translation He Aromātai i ngā whakaaro o ngā akonga Te Tohu Paetahi mō Te Tapuhitanga mō ō rātou wheako tūranga ako tiaki tūroro Ngā Ariā Matua He whakamārama I puta ētahi ētahi pānga papai, ētahi pānga hē hoki mō ngā kaitaurima hauora, tae atu ki ngā pia tapuhi, i te urutā COVID-19. He rerekē ngā whāinga wāhi ako i ētahi rohe tiaki tūroro rerekē, me te whakaputa a ngā ākonga i ō rātou taumata harikoa rerekē puta noa i ō rātou nohoanga ako tiaki tūroro i ngā tau o te urutā COVID-19. I kohia he raraunga wā roa hei aromātai i ngā wheako tiaki tūroro mai i 2017 ki te tau 2022. Te Whāinga: I whai tēnei aromātai ki te whakatau he pēhea rawa te pānga o te urutā ki ngā whakaaro o ngā ākonga mō ō rātou wheako tiaki tūroro, me te tautuhi ko ēhea ngā horopaki ako tiaki tūroro i pai rawa ai ngā wheako akoranga. Ngā tikanga i whāia: I tātari te rangahau nei i ētahi kāpuinga raraunga 2,012, nā te whakamahi tātari tauanga inerahi, me tētahi hoahoa whakamārama tīpako wāhanga. Nā ētahi ākonga o te Tohu Paetahi mō Te Tapuhitanga/Bachelor of Nursing i Ara Institute of Canterbury Limited (ARA) i whakakī te rangahau Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale (CLES+T) i muri i te whakaotinga o ā rātou nohoanga ako tiaki tūroro. Ngā Kitenga: I tiketike tonu ngā whakatau a ngā ākonga mō ō rātou wheako ako tiaki tūroro (kei 4.5 ±0.5 te tauwaenga), ā, kārekau he pānga a te urutā COVID-19 ki aua akoranga. Me kī, ki ngā whakaaro o ēnei ākonga kei runga kē atu te whakawhitinga ki te ao mahi mō tēnei wāhi, tēnā i ētahi atu wāhanga tiaki tūroro, ā, ahakoa i kitea tonutia i roto i ngā tauanga, i meinga tēnei rerekētanga he mea iti noa. Ka taea pea te kī, nā te hīkaka o ngā ākonga ki te uru ki te ao mahi i tō rātou mutunga me tō rātou āhei ki te whiriwhiri i te wāhi mahi mō rātou, i pērā ai. Ngā akoranga mō ngā tikanga mahi: Me tahuri ngā kaiwhakahaere tapuhi mai i ngā kaihora tiaki tūroro me ngā whare mātauranga matua ki te whakapiki i ngā wāhi he pāpaku ngā whakatau, mā te whakapakari i ngā akoranga whakangungu. Ka taea pea te kī, mā ngā urupare ka tāpaetia atu e ngā akonga ngā kaiwhakahaere tapuhi e ārahi i roto i ngā arotake mahi o ngā kaimahi mātauranga matua, tiaki tūroro hoki, e tautoko hoki ngā tapuhi me ngā kaiwhakaako kia hora i ētahi wheako tiaki tūroro kounga tiketike. Mā te whiriwhiri pea i tētahi rārangi pātai hou e whakapiki te rahi me te kounga o ngā mōhiotanga ka kohia, e pai ake ai te ārahi i ngā whare mātauranga matua me ngā kaihora tiaki tūroro. Mā te mahi tahi o ngā kaihora mātauranga me ngā whare mātauranga, tae atu ki te whakamārō tuarā me te hiahia ki te panoni ina pā mai ngā āhuatanga nui, e kitea ai he whāinga wāhi mō te whiriwhiri, me te whai kia whakapakaritia ngā mahi arataki kaimahi hou i te ao tiaki tūroro, e pai ake ai te tau o te mauri o te ākonga i te wāhi mahi. Hei āwhina pea te tautohu moata me te whakamāmā pīkauranga mō ngā kaiwhakangungu e pai ake ake pea te tūhono a te ākonga i ngā ariā ki te mahi tūturu. Ngā kupu matua Ngā Ākonga mō Te Tohu Paetahi mō Te Tapuhitanga; ngā nohoanga ako tiaki tūroro; CLES+T; ngā whakaaro; Aotearoa New Zealand