title: Undergraduate nursing students' preparedness to "go rural".
abstract: This article reports on a theme emerging from a focused ethnography examining the professional socialization of undergraduate fourth year nursing students during a rural hospital preceptored clinical experience. Nursing students and preceptors geographically dispersed over a 640,000 square kilometer rural area participated in this study. Students report student preparedness for the rural hospital setting means to "know what you are getting into". Assisting nursing students to prepare for the rural hospital preceptorship facilitates a positive experience thus increasing the effectiveness of the preceptorship model of clinical teaching. Having a positive rural-based experience also has the potential for recruiting new staff. These preliminary findings suggest that student preparation for the rural hospital preceptorship includes cognitive and psychological preparation, as well as the acquisition of common advanced clinical skills.
authors.affiliation: Grande Prairie Regional College, 10726-106 Avenue, Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada T8V 4C4. msedgwick@gprc.ab.ca
authors.forename: Monique G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Sedgwick
authors.forename: Olive
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yonge
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000416:Alberta; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017144:Focus Groups; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008611:Mentors / Q000523:psychology; D017145:Models, Educational; D016294:Models, Nursing; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010560:Personnel Selection; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012951:Socialization; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*