Preceptors’ perceptions of supporting nursing students in prison health services: A qualitative study

An exploration of nursing students' lived experience of clinical placement in adult male prisons: A phenomenological study

AIM

To explore nursing students' lived experience of a clinical placement within healthcare in a prison, to gain an insight into the support provided prior to and during this unique clinical placement.

DESIGN

An inductive phenomenological study.

METHODS

Participants included 14 nursing students from three undergraduate nursing programmes in England, Adult (n = 4), Learning Disability (n = 3) and Mental Health (n = 7). Following a clinical placement in a prison, each participant completed a semistructured audio-recorded interview on MS Teams between October and December 2021. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was completed.

RESULTS

Two overarching themes were identified, 'shock' due to the (a) reality of prison; (b) overwhelming emotional impact and (c) frequency and severity of self-harm and 'surprise' due to (a) the need to work with prison officers; (b) recognizing and addressing preconceptions of people in prison and (c) the development of clinical knowledge, skills and becoming a nurse.

CONCLUSIONS

The need remains for a comprehensive strategy of preparation and orientation for nursing students before commencing a clinical placement in prison, which includes the development of knowledge and clinical skills to support the complex health and social care needs of people in prison.

IMPACT

Our research identified the support provided to nursing students prior to clinical placement in prison varies considerably. The development of a preparation and orientation programme has the potential to reduce pre-placement anxiety, emotional burden and support nursing students in addressing their preconceptions of people in prison. This approach is essential to support future nursing students to embrace the unique opportunity of a clinical placement within a prison, enhance their clinical knowledge and skills, and develop as a nurse.

REPORTING METHOD

Our paper adheres to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ).

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS STUDY

None.

Development and testing of the Midwifery Perceptions and Assessment of Clinical Teaching (MidPaACT) tool

OBJECTIVE

Develop and test a tool to measure midwives' perceptions of their role in preceptoring midwifery students.

DESIGN

A multi method exploratory study design was used.

POPULATION

Preceptor midwives from three maternity units in south-east Queensland Australia.

METHODS

A three-phase process was used: item generation; expert review; psychometric testing including content analysis of qualitative responses. The survey was online or paper-based and included demographic details, the Clinical Preceptor Experience Evaluation Tool (CPEET) role subscale and draft tool. A focus group discussion explored the open-ended responses.

FINDINGS

A large sample of preceptors (n = 164, 64.2 % response rate) participated. Factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure with 24 items accounting for 40.2 % of variance. The mean total score of the Midwifery Perceptions and Assessment of Clinical Teaching (MidPaACT) tool was 103.31 (SD = 9.47). The scale was reliable (Cronbach's alpha 0.89) and valid. Test-retest reliability showed moderate to excellent temporal stability across the scale and subscales. Measures of concurrent validity showed little agreement with the CPEET tool. Qualitative analysis revealed the way midwives were taught as students had a powerful influence on their approach to teaching in practice.

CONCLUSION

This tool is specifically designed to assess midwifery preceptors' perceptions of their role in student learning in practice. Psychometric testing of the MidPaACT tool confirms its reliability and validity.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Midwifery preceptors are a key influence on the development of students' capability as a midwife. Midwives' perceptions of their proficiency in student learning are under-reported. The MidPaACT tool provides a reliable and valid means of measuring preceptors' perceptions and identifying areas for future educational and workforce improvement.

Supporting learners in prison healthcare work-integrated learning settings through simulation: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Nursing students and nurse preceptors indicate that a comprehensive orientation is vital to successful work-integrated learning placements in Prison Health Services. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate a Prison Health Service orientation package that included innovative asynchronous online video simulations with branched decision-making and feedback opportunities to stimulate learning and improve students' feelings of preparedness for a placement in this setting.

METHODS

A cross-sectional pre and post design was used to evaluate the resource. Students were given access to the package and invited to complete a pre-placement survey evaluating the resource and their feelings of preparedness for placement. Following placement, they re-evaluated the resource in terms of how well it prepared them for the placement and how well prepared they felt. Third year Australian undergraduate nursing students from one university who completed a Prison Health Service work-integrated learning placement in 2018, 2021, and 2022 were invited to participate. Placements were unavailable in 2019 and 2020. Independent t-tests were used to determine differences in scale means and level of preparedness between pre- and post-survey responses.

RESULTS

Twenty-three of 40 (57.5%) eligible nursing students completed the pre-placement survey and 13 (32.5%) completed the post placement survey. All respondents to the pre-placement survey indicated that they felt satisfactorily, well, or very well prepared after completing the orientation package prior to their clinical placement. Students were significantly more likely to consider themselves well prepared by the package after they had attended placement (p < .001). All students post placement indicated that overall, the simulation resources and the specific simulation scenario about personal boundaries and management of manipulative behaviours was useful for their placement. The majority of students would recommend the orientation package to other students. Suggestions for improvement included streamlining the resource to reduce the time to complete it.

CONCLUSIONS

Asynchronous online simulation with the capacity for branched decision making and feedback along with a comprehensive online orientation package were perceived as useful to prepare undergraduate students for placement in the Prison Health Service work-integrated learning setting.

Descriptive Study of Nursing Students' Learning Styles. Case Study of the Professional Bachelor's Degree Cycle in Nursing of the Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques of Casablanca, Morocco

Background:

Learning difficulties experienced by learners are among the most recurring problems in education and, without doubt, the most worrying. Thus, at the beginning of each year, we at the Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques of Casablanca, Morocco (ISPITSC) note the diversity of intrinsic characteristics in our students in the initial training of the Professional Bachelor's (PB) degree cycle in initial nursing training. We believe these characteristics are related to the varied difficulties of adaptation and learning encountered in the first year. However, a lack of knowledge of the learning styles adopted by our students prevents the teaching staff from detecting the difficulties encountered by the learners in assimilating new knowledge during the 3 years of their training course. The identification of these learning styles and subsequent readjustments in training would help improve the quality of training and guarantee an effective mobilisation of knowledge during various care activities, while allowing the acquisition of necessary skills in the context of quality care that meets the needs of patients.

Objective:

The objective of this study is to identify the learning styles of nursing students in the BP nursing cycle at ISPITS Casablanca in Morocco and to classify their origin and nature according to the typology described by Honey and Mumford.

Methods:

Our research used a diagnostic and screening instrument for learning styles developed by Honey and Mumford, the “Learning Style Questionnaire” (LSQ), an abbreviated French version of which (LSQ-Fa) has been translated by Fortin et al. A sample of 49 students received the data collection instrument.

Results:

The study obtained a response rate of 87.75% (43 students). The results are similar to the research that shows that reflector style is the preferred learning style of learners in PB nursing education. However, the study also identified an important category of students who have dual learning styles.

Conclusion:

Given the gap between learners' teaching style and learning style and its consequences for the assimilation of the knowledge provided, nursing educators should adapt their educational strategies to the particularities of their students in order to reduce learning difficulties and promote the effective mobilisation of knowledge in various complex learning situations.