title: Clinical placements in Australian general practice: (Part 1) the experiences of pre-registration nursing students.
abstract: An international shift towards strengthening primary care services has stimulated the growth of nursing in general (family) practice. As learning in the clinical setting comprises a core component of pre-registration nursing education, it is logical that clinical placement opportunities would follow the workforce growth in this setting. Beyond simply offering placements in relevant clinical areas, it is vital to ensure high quality learning experiences that meet the educational needs of pre-registration nurses. Part 1 of a two part series reports on the qualitative study of a mixed methods project. Fifteen pre-registration nursing students participated in semi-structured interviews following a clinical placement in an Australian general practice. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and underwent a process of thematic analysis. Findings are presented in the following four themes; (1) Knowledge of the practice nurse role: I had very limited understanding, (2) Quality of the learning experience: It was a fantastic placement, (3) Support, belonging and mutual respect: I really felt part of the team, (4) Employment prospects: I would really, really love to go to a general practice but …… General practice placements exposed students to a diverse range of clinical skills which would equip them for future employment in primary care. Exposure to nursing in general practice also stimulated students to consider a future career in this clinical setting.
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: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D004506:Education, Nursing; D058006:General Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000379:methods*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013338:Students, Nursing
keywords: General practice; Nurse education; Pre-registration; Primary care; Recruitment