The Effect of Social Contingencies on Nursing Students’ Reactions During a Rural Clinical Placement

Abstract

Students' feedback of their practicum experiences are typically documented only in terms of established nursing competencies and learning objectives. How nursing students cope with social contingencies (e.g., personal health) while away on clinical placement is not commonly reported in the literature. A sample of Australian student nurses was surveyed as a way of contributing new knowledge about what and how social contingencies could impact on a practicum experience. An analysis of the survey data provided by 244 students revealed that of the 14 contingencies used, financial pressure, accommodation, and geographic location, were rated as having the most influence. All of these social contingencies were examined by a principal components analysis. Three factors were identified and interpreted as professional organization, home organization, and personal organization. Three subscales were then derived using these factors and other measures were also calculated. Bivariate and multivariate relationships were subsequently determined. One key finding was that the first year students, compared to their more senior counterparts, expressed less stress during their practicum. The first year students, as opposed to their more experienced peers, also attached less importance to the professional organizational contingencies. The implications of the study for university administrators, nursing education faculty, and managers of clinical facilities conclude the paper.

Factors influencing the intention of Indonesian nursing students to work in rural areas

“…This means that students with lower study level are more likely to accept assignment to a rural area. A study by Kerr in Australia also revealed that first year students experienced less stress and had less commitment to professional organisations than their seniors during a rural clinical placement 32. The study showed that the younger students were more flexible in choosing their working placement.…”

Identifying features of quality in rural placements for health students: scoping review

“…As shown in the data chart (online supplemental appendix B) and summary of included literature (table 2), most of the literature is based in the Australian context (n=77) 8 22 27–101. There is variability in the sites in which student placements were undertaken, and the length of placement varied from 6 days to 52 weeks.…”

Experiences of Nursing and Allied Health Students Undertaking a Rural Placement: Barriers and Enablers to Satisfaction and Wellbeing

“…However, the evidence on the effect of rural placement on rural practice intention for nursing and allied health students is less clear (Playford, Larson, & Wheatland, 2006). Generally, there is a lack of literature specific to nursing and allied health student placements (Bazen, Kruger, Dyson, & Tennant, 2007;Johnson & Blinkhorn, 2011;Orpin & Gabriel, 2005;Sutton et al, 2016) and, more specifically, on the social contingencies of rural student placements (Kerr, Hemmings Brian, & Kay, 2013;Lea et al, 2008). Furthermore, there is a paucity of literature written from the perspective of the students themselves (Dalton et al, 2002;White & Humphreys, 2014).…”

“…Second, nursing and allied health students frequently describe rural health services as being positive, friendly work environments (Johnson & Blinkhorn, 2011;Lea et al, 2008;Schofield et al, 2009;Sutton et al, 2016) where they receive dedicated support from staff and clinical supervisors (Australia, 2015;Johnson & Blinkhorn, 2011;White & Humphreys, 2014). Third, students report more opportunities for hands-on learning experiences, exposure to a broader scope of practice (Lea et al, 2008;Orpin & Gabriel, 2005;Paterson, McColl, & Paterson, 2004;Webster et al, 2010) and being provided the opportunity to be more responsible and autonomous in their practice (Adams et al, 2005;Kerr et al, 2013;Killam, Carter, & Carter, 2010;Schofield et al, 2009;Sutton et al, 2016) in their rural placements. Most of these rural-specific factors are well identified in the literature, but others are less common, including: enjoying increased opportunities to work in an inter-professional health team (Adams et al, 2005;Devine, 2006), enjoyment of immersion into new settings (Bazen et al, 2007;Daly, Perkins, Kumar, Roberts, & Moore, 2013;Thackrah, Thompson, & Durey, 2014), having more time to develop satisfying patient relationships (Daly et al, 2013;Orpin & Gabriel, 2005) and increased career opportunities following rural placement (Adams et al, 2005;Paterson et al, 2004).…”

“…Commonly, students face significant additional levels of financial stress (Edmunds & Harris, 2015;McLennan, Boddy, Cartmel, & Chenoweth, 2012;Turner & Lane, 2006;Webster et al, 2010;White & Humphreys, 2014) particularly around lost income (Edmunds & Harris, 2015), difficulty in finding suitable and affordable accommodation (Kerr et al, 2013;Turner & Lane, 2006;White & Humphreys, 2014) and travelling considerable distances (Kerr et al, 2013;Killam et al, 2010;Thackrah et al, 2014;Turner & Lane, 2006). They report feelings of isolation, both personally/socially (Adams et al, 2005;Bazen et al, 2007;Daly et al, 2013;Edmunds & Harris, 2015;Johnson & Blinkhorn, 2011;Kerr et al, 2013;Killam et al, 2010;Thackrah et al, 2014;Turner & Lane, 2006) and professionally/academically (Adams et al, 2005;Campbell et al, 2012;Edmunds & Harris, 2015;Johnson & Blinkhorn, 2011;Thackrah et al, 2014). One study found students strongly associated geographical isolation with professional isolation (Thackrah et al, 2014).…”