Monday, 18 November 2019
The undergraduate student nurse is expected to assimilate professional knowledge, attitudes, and skills in two separate environments: the academic classroom and clinical placements. Nurse educators have long been instrumental in assigning clinical placement experiences for student nurses to meet the nursing course objectives.
The aim of this poster presentation is to identify evidence-based strategies from the literature that promote a culture of belongingness for student nurses in their clinical placements. A total of eight articles with various research designs are reviewed to identify evidence-based strategies for the promotion of student nurse sense of belongingness. The following recurring concepts based on the various research studies emerged for the sense of belonging: Student /Staff relationship; Acknowledgement/Feeling valued; Attitude; and Faculty/Staff support. The best practice recommendations found in the research literature helped formulate suggestions for individual faculty, nursing education programs, and nursing administration.
The clinical site experience begins with planning by the nurse educator. The importance of a positive student/staff relationship as cited by the evidence requires communication (Levett-Jones et al. 2009). The faculty communicates the students’ learning objectives and expectations to the clinical manager, educator, and staff, for each clinical semester. Additionally, the faculty communicates expectations to the student nurse.
The hospital’s clinical unit managers and staff nurses can attend workshops or in-service education on attitudes for positive role modeling and student engagement. It is imperative that the nursing staff, who support and teach students in the clinical site, recognize the role they have in the student nurses’ socialization to the profession. Understanding the practices and actions of the clinical staff that affect the student nurse’s sense of belongingness is vital to facilitate a positive learning experience at the clinical site.
Communication between the university nursing program and hospital administration provides current updates of academic and clinical placement expectations. Also, there should be an appointment of a faculty liaison to communicate updates and changes affecting clinical placements. Along with other nurse educators, liaison's can attend scheduled meetings with hospital administration and the education department. The hospital administration can provide current orientation for faculty to support better clinical planning for the student nurse by the faculty.
Student satisfaction in their clinical placements can influence career decisions and their continuation in the profession through a positive transition to the nursing profession.
The identified strategies hold significance to administrators, unit managers, nursing staffs, and nursing educators by fostering retention and preventing the costly attrition of our future nurse workforce. Informing stakeholders of best practices has the potential to improve the clinical placement experience of nursing students. Promoting a healthy clinical site environment encourages a sense of belongingness and a welcoming transition for nursing students to the nursing profession of caring.
The aim of this poster presentation is to identify evidence-based strategies from the literature that promote a culture of belongingness for student nurses in their clinical placements. A total of eight articles with various research designs are reviewed to identify evidence-based strategies for the promotion of student nurse sense of belongingness. The following recurring concepts based on the various research studies emerged for the sense of belonging: Student /Staff relationship; Acknowledgement/Feeling valued; Attitude; and Faculty/Staff support. The best practice recommendations found in the research literature helped formulate suggestions for individual faculty, nursing education programs, and nursing administration.
The clinical site experience begins with planning by the nurse educator. The importance of a positive student/staff relationship as cited by the evidence requires communication (Levett-Jones et al. 2009). The faculty communicates the students’ learning objectives and expectations to the clinical manager, educator, and staff, for each clinical semester. Additionally, the faculty communicates expectations to the student nurse.
The hospital’s clinical unit managers and staff nurses can attend workshops or in-service education on attitudes for positive role modeling and student engagement. It is imperative that the nursing staff, who support and teach students in the clinical site, recognize the role they have in the student nurses’ socialization to the profession. Understanding the practices and actions of the clinical staff that affect the student nurse’s sense of belongingness is vital to facilitate a positive learning experience at the clinical site.
Communication between the university nursing program and hospital administration provides current updates of academic and clinical placement expectations. Also, there should be an appointment of a faculty liaison to communicate updates and changes affecting clinical placements. Along with other nurse educators, liaison's can attend scheduled meetings with hospital administration and the education department. The hospital administration can provide current orientation for faculty to support better clinical planning for the student nurse by the faculty.
Student satisfaction in their clinical placements can influence career decisions and their continuation in the profession through a positive transition to the nursing profession.
The identified strategies hold significance to administrators, unit managers, nursing staffs, and nursing educators by fostering retention and preventing the costly attrition of our future nurse workforce. Informing stakeholders of best practices has the potential to improve the clinical placement experience of nursing students. Promoting a healthy clinical site environment encourages a sense of belongingness and a welcoming transition for nursing students to the nursing profession of caring.