title: Primary care clinical placements: The views of Australian registered nurse mentors and pre-registration nursing students (part 2).
abstract: An increased burden of chronic and complex conditions treated in the community and an aging population have exacerbated the primary care workload. Predicted nursing shortages will place further stressors on this workforce. High quality clinical placements may provide a strategic pathway to introduce and recruit new nurses to this speciality. This paper is Part 2 of a two part series reporting the findings of a mixed methods project. Part 1 reported on the qualitative study and Part 2 reports on the quantitative study. Forty-five pre-registration nursing students from a single Australian tertiary institution and 22 primary care Registered Nurse (RN) mentors who supervised student learning completed an online survey. Students largely regarded their primary care placement positively and felt this to be an appropriate learning opportunity. Most RNs were satisfied with mentoring pre-registration nursing students in their setting. Furthermore, the RNs desire to mentor students and the support of general practitioners (GPs) and consumers were seen as key enablers of pre-registration nursing placements. Findings from this study provide a preliminary impression of primary care clinical placements from the perspective of pre-registration nursing students and registered nurse mentors. Further research should examine whether a broader scope of non-traditional health settings such as non-government organisations, charities, pharmacies, welfare and social services can also provide appropriate learning environments for pre-registration nursing students.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. Electronic address: sm341@uowmail.edu.au.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McInnes
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia. Electronic address: k.peters@uws.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kath
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Clinical Education Academic, Sydney Nursing School, The University of Sydney, Room A3:16 Level 3, 88 Mallett Street, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia. Electronic address: jennifer.hardy@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Faculty of Science, Medicine & Health, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. Electronic address: ehalcomb@uow.edu.au.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Halcomb
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000379:methods*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Clinical learning environment; Clinical practicum; Nurse education; Primary care