Undergraduate nursing students’ placement in speciality clinical areas: Understanding the concerns of the student and registered nurse

Abstract

Introduction: Student nurses in Australia are regularly placed in acute clinical areas providing them with clinical experience to link theory with real patient situations. Specialist clinical areas such as day oncology and renal dialysis often exclude students on the basis that their clinical area may not be able to meet normal clinical expectations, including holistic care of four to six patients with minimal direction from the registered nurse. However, specialist clinical areas provide students with unique learning experiences. This paper reports on an evaluation of speciality clinical placements for student nurses with an aim to increase our understanding of this type of placement. Methods: Semi-structured audiotaped interviews were undertaken with 7 third year final semester students and 13 registered nurses working with the third year students. All interviews were transcribed and a thematic analysis conducted. Findings: Key themes from the students and registered nurses were knowledge and preparedness for specialist placement, team work and being included and customising learning needs. Conclusion: Speciality placements provide a valuable experience for the undergraduate nurse including opportunities to see excellence in team work, communication and assessment as well as identifying future intention to become an oncology or renal specialist nurse.