Challenges in Assessment Situations in Clinical Studies: How do Nurse Mentors in Home-Based Health Care Services Experience Assessment Situations in Supervision of 2nd Year Bachelor Nursing Students?

Abstract

Purpose of the study: Describe nurse mentors` experiences in using the Learning Outcome Assessment Form in supervision of 2nd year nursing students` clinical study and teach learning outcomes` relation to practice, how roles and responsibilities of nurse mentors in the community home-based health care services affect assessment situations. Methodology: Explorative & descriptive qualitative method through focus group interview is applied. In autumn 2017 to spring 2018, focus group interviews done on nurse mentors from three districts of home-based health care services in the county of Oslo. Semi-structured guide used in the focus group interviews that lasted for 40-45 minutes and held in the respective district of the participants. Focus group interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis done through Kvale and Brinkman's (2015) systematic interpretation. Results: Nurse mentors experience that learning outcomes are broad and difficult to translate into learning situations in practice. Nurse mentors seldom use the official Learning Outcome Assessment Form in the evaluation of expected level of students` performances, but collaborate and share responsibilities with co-nurse mentors in assessment situations and call attention of teachers when students have slow development in clinical studies. Nurse mentors` lack of time seem to affect nursing students` clinical supervision and assessment. Conclusion: The research shows that most of the learning outcomes are abstract in form and can be difficult to apply in the concretization of learning situations in practice. The nurse mentors often based assessment situations on their own values, attitudes and norms. Therefore, there is a need for collaboration between the university and home-based health care services in order to translate the Learning Outcome Assessment Form to fit into the learning situations in the clinical areas. Nurse mentors and teachers should be given time, education and training in supervision and assessment of nursing students in practice.

The difficulties experienced in patient communication by nursing students taking the clinical practice course for the first time – a qualitative study

“…come to the fore. [42][43][44][45] The data of a study in Kenya concluded that 54% of the student nurses stated that mentor nurses had insufficient communication-interaction. 45 In a study conducted in Africa, it was reported that mentor-registered nurses spent very little time with the nursing students and could not afford enough knowledge/dedication to transform theoretical knowledge into practice.…”