Changes in attitudes toward diabetes in nursing students at diabetes camp

Abstract

The research purpose was to determine whether exposure to residential diabetes camps affects attitudes toward diabetes care and management in nursing students. Summer camp for children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) provides a unique and engaging clinical environment for nursing students to learn about evolving diabetes care and to help children develop diabetes management skills. This prospective, pretest/posttest study assessed student nurses' attitudes about diabetes, who attended one of four residential summer camps in the United States, using the Diabetes Attitude Survey 3 (DAS3). The survey was administered before and after clinical experience designed to fulfill experiential curricula requirements from various nursing programs. After attending diabetes camp, nursing students (N=73) had a positive change in their attitudes regarding the need for special training and the psychosocial impact of diabetes. The diabetes camp clinical experience impacted nursing students' attitudes. Diabetes camps are a unique clinical setting that uses learned clinical knowledge and judgment to promote health and prevent disease and disability, supporting the integration of primary care and public health nursing.