title: Nursing students' conception of clinical skills training before and after their first clinical placement: A quantitative, evaluative study.
abstract: Education institution and practice field have a joint responsibility with regard to facilitating a learning environment for the nursing students that provides learning outcomes in accordance with the National Curriculum. Using simulated patient situations is about ensuring a safe learning environment where mistakes are not putting real patients' lives in danger.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare nursing students' experiences with a skills training situation immediately after the training and after their ten weeks clinical placement in nursing homes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative, cross-sectional and evaluative.
  
  
  METHODS
  Full- and part-time students in their first year of a Bachelor of Nursing degree. The students answered a questionnaire on two different occasions, immediately after skills training and after internship in a nursing home.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Being a "patient" and a "nurse" in simulation was experienced as useful to clinical practice. Students with previous experience had a significantly higher perception of mastering the procedure after the internship, while unexperienced fellow students did not report any significant increase with regard to a sense of coping during their clinical practice. The findings raise questions if there are aspects with the education institution or the practice field that should be improved to help facilitate a better learning process for students without any previous experience.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Care and Nursing, Gjøvik University College, Teknologiveien 22, N-2815 Gjøvik, Norway. Electronic address: solveig.struksnes@hig.no.
authors.forename: Solveig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Struksnes
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health, Care and Nursing, Gjøvik University College, Teknologiveien 22, N-2815 Gjøvik, Norway.
authors.forename: Ragna Ingeborg
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Engelien
mesh_terms: D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009735:Nursing Homes; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Human patient simulation; Internship; Nursing skills; Sponge bath