title: Nursing staff perceptions of student contributions in clinical settings.
abstract: Because nursing is a practice discipline, students are placed in clinical settings to collaborate with professional nurses in caring for patients. This descriptive study aimed to explore the benefits and limitations of undergraduate nursing students in the clinical setting. A 54-item instrument, Nursing Students' Contributions to Clinical Agencies, was used to collect data from staff nurses (N = 84) at three hospitals. The instrument also provided space for participants to share qualitative data, which revealed perceptions with which staff nurses were likely to agree and three key themes: Eager to Learn, Willing to Help, and Serving Their Time. The major implication for students is that they are often judged on their assertiveness skills and should offer assistance so they appear eager to learn. Faculty must ascertain that students understand their objectives for the clinical rotation and share those objectives with the staff nurses to enhance their learning experience.
authors: Arkansas Tech University, Nursing Department, Dean Hall, Suite 224, 402 West “O” Street, Russellville, AR 72801, USA.
authors: Cheryl
authors: C
authors: Slaughter-Smith
authors: Jennifer E
authors: JE
authors: Helms
authors: Rebecca
authors: R
authors: Burris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D006780:Hospitals, Rural; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D011231:Preceptorship; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014481:United States