Communication has been identified repeatedly as a major factor in the quality and safety of patient care (Maxfield, Grenny, Lavandaro, & Groah, 2011), as well as student nurses’ learning experiences (Bjorg et al., 2013; Coyne & Needham, 2012; Krautscheid, 2008; Morley, 2014). Based on this knowledge, the student nurses conducted informal surveys with other students and nursing staff to identify how those involved felt about the clinical experience at the large urban hospital where clinical learning experiences are arranged. The major issue identified was that both students and nurses are unsure of their roles and responsibilities during the learning partnership.
The student nurses then identified strategies to combat this problem. The first strategy involved creating a course-specific list of nursing competencies and skills that students should achieve during their clinical experiences.
The students collaborated with nursing faculty in the university’s medical surgical nursing course to identify specific and general nursing competencies and skills, which became known as “competency checklists.” The items were organized into the following categories: Independent; with supervision; and observation only. The document produced from these lists was a checklist for the clinical instructor, nursing staff, and the student nurses that would clarify what students can and cannot do during their clinical experiences, thereby facilitating communication and appropriate delegation. A second document was created from this list, which became known as the “self-assessment” list. This list provided students with a tangible interpretation of the clinical learning objectives and was meant to promote student nurses’ self-assessment and to guide them in identifying learning opportunities.
A pilot study for the competency checklist and self-assessment began in the fall semester of 2016. The competency checklists were distributed to lead course faculty, who incorporated the documents into the clinical learning experiences. Surveys were administered to participants at the implementation of the pilot study and will be administered again after 6 weeks. The aims of this pilot study are to increase student nurse and patient safety by improving communication among those involved in the clinical learning partnership. Specifically, the project focused on clarifying the scope of practice, responsibilities, and learning goals of the student nurses involved in the medical surgical course at this university.
At the end of this pilot study the project leaders hope to find that student nurses experienced clarity regarding their role in the clinical learning partnership, improved communication with clinical staff, increased confidence in seeking relevant learning experiences, and increased opportunities to participate in relevant learning experiences.