title: Transitions into practice: First patient care experiences of baccalaureate nursing students.
abstract: An essential component of the learning process for nursing and other disciplines in health professions education is the structuring of successful clinical experiences for beginning students. The purpose of this research study was to explore and describe first patient care experiences of baccalaureate nursing students in order to better understand student perspectives and perceptions. Data were collected from three cohorts of baccalaureate nursing in two university settings in the first semester following completion of first patient care experiences. A basic, exploratory qualitative approach with overtones of grounded theory was used for data collection and analysis. Three clear themes emerged from the data analysis. Participants experienced emotional responses of Anticipation, including fear, nervousness, and anxiety. The clinical experiences allowed Processing ∼ Working Through, which was impacted by actions of instructors, nurses and patients. Participants developed Awareness as a result of their experiences.
authors.affiliation: WellStar School of Nursing, Kennesaw State University, 1000 Chastain Rd, Bldg. 41, Maildrop #4102, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA. Electronic address: lpayne3@kennesaw.edu.
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Payne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009732:Nursing Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D015144:Southeastern United States; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Clinical experiences; Clinical faculty; Clinical nurses; Nursing education; Nursing students