Second Year Nursing Students’ Experiences on Clinical Placement in a Rural Health Centre

Abstract

Introduction: In nursing education, it’s expected that students take theoretical and practical courses. A practical component is an integral part of learning in the nurses’ training and it is achieved by placing students in different clinical settings. In Namibia, hospitals, clinics and health centres are popularly utilized as a clinical environment for placing nursing student at all levels of studies. Nursing students from a satellite campus were placed at a health centre in 2016. However, little is known on how students experience the placement at the health centre. 

Methods: The study followed qualitative research principles, and it was explorative, descriptive and contextual in nature. Data were collected from reflections submitted by second year nursing students upon completion of their two weeks placement at the health centre. Data were analyzed using a content analysis as a data analysis strategy. Trustworthiness of this study was ensured by using the criteria of Lincoln and Guba namely: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability of the study.

Results: Five themes emerged from the study are; ‘interpersonal factor’, students’ reactions to the learning context’, ‘enablers of students’ learning at a rural health centre’, challenges experienced by students’ and recommendations made by students on learning in a rural health centre’. Conclusion: It is evident that good interpersonal interactions of nursing staff, students and patients appear to have positive impact on learning. Students reflected on limited supply of equipment and limited cases available as challenges experienced during their placement. Furthermore, students made recommendations to improve placements in a rural health centre.