Background
Through learning experiences, nursing students develop the necessary knowledge and skills needed for entry-level practice (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2010). These experiences allow students to develop critical thinking skills and the ability to reason, which can lead to more appropriate care for patients (Dauphinee, 2012; O’Mara, McDonald, Gillespie, Brown, & Miles, 2014; Paans et al., 2012). Yet, preparing graduates of nursing programs for their careers has become a substantial challenge for educators. Students currently entering nursing programs across the country have diverse learning needs and backgrounds, such as different life experiences, ages, abilities to utilize technology, and personal demands (Popkess & Frey, 2016). Also, nurse educators report budget cuts in higher education, a nationwide nurse faculty shortage, and note there is a lack of available clinical sites (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2015; Benner et al., 2010). Even though many barriers and challenges exist, educators must maximize learning experiences to ensure graduates will be prepared to handle complex situations that will arise in the clinical setting. This can be accomplished, in part, by providing an intentionally inviting learning environment for students’ experiences.
Gaps noted in the literature pertained to the overall learning experiences of prelicensure nursing students. Most of the published literature focused on quantitative research methods, teacher-student relationships, the clinical environment, and the evaluation of students. It is critical that the nursing profession explore students’ experiences of learning to ensure programs provide an optimal environment to promote student development.
Methodology
This study aimed to explore and interpret the lived experiences of undergraduate students as they learned in a nursing program. Data gathering occurred through face-to-face interview sessions with 12 prelicensure, senior-level students from two BSN programs in the southeastern United States. Interviews were transcribed and narratives examined through the lens of invitational theory (Purkey & Novak, 1996) and the National League for Nursing’s excellence in nursing education model (National League for Nursing, 2006). First and second cycle coding methods as described by Saldaña (2013) were utilized. Next, van Manen’s (1990) thematic analysis process provided guidance for the identification of themes and thematic statements.
Presentation of Findings
From data analysis, themes and subthemes emerged to describe prelicensure nursing students’ perceptions of their learning experiences and the environment. The identified themes were: Preparing and Learning, Inviting Versus Disinviting, “Roll With the Punches,” and The Evaluative Process: “Clicking Through.” In addition, nine subthemes were discovered.
Learning and Preparing
One of the strongest themes to emerge from the data focused on preparing and learning. Participants told numerous stories highlighting the importance of preparing for class activities, tests, the simulation lab, and clinical experiences. These participants believed teachers and students should prepare for all activities. Each participant’s preparation ritual appeared different; but, all students stressed the importance of being prepared and knowing what they needed to do in order to maximize learning experiences.
Inviting Versus Disinviting
Participants perceived many aspects of the learning environment, including the people, places, processes, programs, and policies, as inviting or disinviting to their personal knowledge development. As congruent with invitational theory, participants felt the people aspect of the learning environment had the greatest impact on their personal learning. Students wanted faculty to serve as professional role models, be relatable, easy to have a conversation with, knowledgeable about the content, and approachable.
Participants reported the layout of the building housing the nursing program greatly impacted their learning experiences. Study spaces and access to faculty offices were necessary to facilitate their learning. One surprising finding from this study, was several participants told stories of how the whiteboards were inviting to their learning. In a world where educators always want to utilize an application or other technology to promote learning, several participants noted the simple whiteboards in the library and study rooms helped them to “connect the dots” while studying concepts.
When asked about processes and programs, participants voiced their need for clear and realistic expectations. Unrealistic expectations were extremely frustrating to students. Also, they struggled with the “ever-changing schedule.”
“Roll With the Punches”
“Roll with the punches” focused more on students’ perceptions of what was helpful for their learning and how they progressed through the nursing program. The title came from a comment made by Lee, who said:
I mean that’s just a learning process of how to handle that kind of situation and what to do . . . So, I’ve had to learn how to handle those kinds of situations and just kind of…roll with the punches.
This common theme was noted in many interviews, as students claimed they were “getting through” in numerous instances.
Participants routinely voiced the importance of being focused in order to learn. This required, for some participants, finding quiet study spaces, moving to the front of the classroom in order to not be distracted by peers, and adapting to challenging situations. Though, participants noted classmates served as a great source of distraction in the nursing program, they also believed relationships with fellow classmates were vital to success in a program.
The Evaluative Process: “Clicking Through”
Students were asked to share their experiences of evaluating their learning during the nursing program. When questioned about the evaluative process, students focused their reflections on course evaluations. Most were unsure of the purpose of and how institutions utilized the evaluations. Participants also reported feeling overloaded at the end of the semester and did not put much effort into completing the evaluations. These findings lead one to question the accuracy of student evaluations and the reliability of the data produced by these evaluations.
Implications and Recommendations for Nursing Education
Several implications and recommendations for nursing education were noted. Nurse educators should provide clear and realistic expectations, serve as professional role models, and prepare the learning environment and students for all activities. In regards to evaluation, educators must inform students of the processes and procedures regarding evaluation in order to obtain reliable results from course evaluations. Overall, this study provides valuable knowledge to nursing education because results can guide faculty as they structure and evaluate learning experiences. In the future, more research should focus on the student-teacher connection, technology to enhance learning, various approaches to teaching/learning in nursing education, the evaluative processes, and how to cultivate all aspects of the learning environment to promote student success.