title: Exploring clinical nursing experiences: listening to student nurses.
abstract: Student nurses spend one half of their educational programme in the clinical area. The success of an educationally sound clinical placement is crucial to forming a professional nursing identity that will encompass the seen and 'unseen' aspects of the nurses' role. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical nursing environment through the perceptions of first year student nurses. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 12 student nurses who each had four weeks clinical experience, representing 21 wards and five hospitals. Results suggest that these student nurses were disillusioned with the reality of clinical nursing and that their expectations of nursing were not realised. They perceived that paperwork, completing tasks and meeting targets were dominant features of nursing work at the expense of patient contact and communication. A majority indicated that nursing was not as caring as they expected and vowed to hold on to their personal values of caring about patients and forming communicative, interpersonal relationships with them.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of Hull, Cottingham Rd., Hull HU6 7RX, United Kingdom. p.a.pearcey@hull.ac.uk
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pearcey
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Draper
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D004282:Documentation; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004510:Education, Nursing, Diploma Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004645:Empathy; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006272:Health Facility Environment / Q000458:organization & administration; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009013:Morale; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009737:Nursing Records; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology