Practice nurses experiences of mentoring undergraduate nursing students in Australian general practice

Abstract

Internationally, the delivery of health services has shifted from secondary to primary care, necessitating an exponential growth of the nursing workforce and expansion of the nursing role in general practice. This growth, and the subsequent need to develop this workforce, has created a need to expose undergraduate nurses to general practice nursing as a viable career option. Concurrently, universities are struggling to find sufficient clinical places for their undergraduate students to gain clinical experience. It is logical, therefore, to increase the number of undergraduate nursing student placements in general practice. Through qualitative research methods, this paper seeks to explore the experiences of practice nurses mentoring undergraduate students on clinical placements within the general practice setting. Findings are presented in the following three themes: (1) Promoting Practice Nursing: We really need to get students in, (2) Mentoring future coworkers: Patience and reassurance, and (3) Reciprocity in learning: It's a bit of a two way street, which show the benefits of such placements. Clinical placements in general practice settings can be mutually beneficial in terms of providing quality teaching and learning experiences for students. Conversely, the experience provides an impetus for practice nurses to maintain currency of their clinical skills and knowledge through mentoring student nurses.

Nursing students’ experiences of clinical placement in community settings: A qualitative study

“…This resonates with findings from previous research which highlights that undergraduate nursing students appreciate the learning opportunities they are exposed to in placements outside the hospital setting (Bjørk et al, 2014;Halcomb et al, 2012;Peters et al, 2013)(Authors Own). One of the most positive aspects of their clinical placement in a community setting was the slower pace which meant that the supervising nurse could spend additional time with them.…”

“…Secondly, there is growing recognition that pre-registration students need to be exposed to clinical practice in primary health care. These two factors are combining to increase interest in clinical placements in primary health care settings (Halcomb, Peters, & McInnes, 2012;Peters, Halcomb, & McInnes, 2013).…”

The Experiences of the Reorientation Program for Professional Training in Nursing - Advances and Challenges

“…It is believed that, as reported in other countries, in Brazil the potential of experiences in services can be evidenced for the consolidation of professional competencies. 18 The financial incentive of Pró-Saúde stood out as a contribution to the experiences of all the actors in this study, as it represents an opportunity for the purchase of equipment for the courses and for health units.…”

“…This fact corroborates the perpetuation of the vertical nature of the negotiations between academia and services, starting with planning in the university until the implementation of the actions, in the day to day of the units, in a solid association between the objectives of learning with the necessities of the services and of the attached population. 18,22 It is not enough to transfer the teaching environment to the health care services network. Negotiations for the definition of common goals are implicit in this process and the meaning of the word "integrate" must go beyond the simple action of the academy occupying the space of the service.…”

Host Agency Perspectives on Facilitating Community-Based Clinical Experiences for Nursing Students

“…Stallwood and Groh (2011) concluded change occurs in both the recipient and provider of service as a result of the service activity. Ganley et al (2004) and Halcomb, Peters, and McInnes (2012) described that community agencies benefit from such partnerships; public health nurses were able to develop their skills as mentors and evaluators, research was more easily conducted, and client health status could be improved. Stewart (2007) observed benefits to agency staff such as having their knowledge updated through interactions with students, being able to focus more on strenuous issues, or attend career development workshops.…”