Student nurses on placement – collaborators or challengers
| Date | 12 October 2015 |
| Published date | 12 October 2015 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JAP-11-2014-0032 |
| Pages | 287-295 |
| Author | Pat Clarke |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Adult protection |
Student nurses on placement –
collaborators or challengers
Pat Clarke
Pat Clarke is Senior Lecturer at
the School of Nursing and Allied
Health, Liverpool John Moores
University, Liverpool, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –All nursing students have the opportunity to gain experience in the Independent Sector.
The Health and Social Care Act (2012) in the UK has led to more health services being provided by the
Independent Sector. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of first year student nurses of
their learning experience in nursing homes placements within the Independent Sector.
Design/methodology/approach –Two focus groups were undertaken with first year student nurses, one
with six students and the other with seven students. All students had completed four week clinical
placements in nursing homes. The focus groups were semi structured. Thematic analysis was undertaken
on the data.
Findings –Important themes that emerged from the data included: leadership issues, poor practice relating
to infection control and manual handling, team dynamics, commitment to addressing issues whenraised and
challenges to raising issues within the placement area. The findings provided an insight into some of the
barriers for student nurses when raising issues. The decision to raise concerns was multifactorial and
complex. Attention was also focused on the relationship between the mentor and the student and the impact
that can have on the learning environment.
Research limitations/implications –The limitations for this study included: this was a small scale study,
the findings were from a small number of placement areas within a small geographical area of the UK. Some
students may have felt reluctant to share their views in a focus group. The findings reflect the views of first
year student nurses only. However, first year students can provide an alternative view of a placement area.
Their lack of experience can be an opportunity to question accepted norms with the mentor, acting as a
resource of new ideas.
Originality/value –This paper identified opportunities and challenges for student nurses and education
providers alike. For the student it was the complexities of raising issues and for the education provider it was
equipping students with the knowledge and skills to raise such issues not only as a student but also upon
qualification.
Keywords Safeguarding, Mentor, Focus group, Independent Sector, Nursing home, Student nurse
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Reduction in National Health Service (NHS) clinical placement areas has led to the need to
increase capacity for student nurse placements in the Independent Sector. This increase in
delivery of healthcare services by the Independent Sector has been driven by Department
of Health (DoH) documents such as NHS Next Stage Review, Our Vision for Primary and
Community Care (DoH, 2008) and Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: A New Direction for
Community Services (DoH, 2006). The introduction of the Health and Social Care Act (2012),
opened the door for mixed provision, substantially increasing the provision of healthcare by the
Independent Sector .
Providers within the Independent Sector range from private individuals opening a nursing home,
to larger organisations such as BUPA, Virgin Healthcare and Marie Curie. This change in the
Received 6 November 2014
Revised 23 February 2015
29 March 2015
Accepted 30 April 2015
The author would like to thank the
student nurses who participated in
this study for their contributions.
The author would like to also thank
the colleagues within the school
who have supported in writing this
paper.
DOI 10.1108/JAP-11-2014-0032 VOL. 17 NO. 5 2015, pp. 287-295, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1466-8203
j
THE JOURNAL OF ADULT PROTECTION
j
PAG E 28 7
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