Process Mapping Midwifery Students' Clinical Placement in Sierra Leone: Identifying Facilitators and Barriers.

Background: Improving midwifery education is critical to improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Sierra Leone. A significant priority within midwifery education is to strengthen the clinical teaching and students' hands-on experience in the clinical setting. Objectives: To identify facilitators and challenges within midwifery students' clinical placements and to highlight areas to strengthen the clinical midwifery education system as well as the role of preceptors. Methods: We conducted a participatory process mapping with two schools of midwifery in Sierra Leone to detail steps taken by practicing midwives and midwifery faculty when students are placed in clinical settings for midwifery rotations. Findings: There were 42 participants from the Bo and Makeni regions of Sierra Leone. Participants included midwifery faculty from the Schools of Midwifery in Makeni and Bo, clinical midwives from two regional government hospitals, clinical midwives from two affiliated community health centers, and midwives from the District Health Management Teams. Three recurring themes emerged in the process. First, there was always some element of preparing or teaching the student. Second, there were administrative tasks to coordinate between the schools, clinical sites, and students, before, during, and after clinical placements. And third, there were elements of communication and collaboration between schools and clinical sites/preceptors that could be improved through shared understanding and standardization. Additional themes were inconsistencies across activities before, during, and after students' clinical placement and limited opportunities and confusion around systems of evaluating all components of the clinical placement experience. Conclusions: This study provides insight into the process of midwifery students' clinical placement and highlights facilitators to be standardized and some modifiable barriers to be addressed. As Sierra Leone and many other similar countries in sub-Saharan Africa attempt to strengthen students' clinical education through educating and developing preceptors, processing mapping can be a useful tool.

Clinical learning experiences of healthcare professional students in a student-led clinical learning environment (SLCLE) - A mixed methods evaluation.

AIM: To evaluate healthcare professional (HCP) students clinical learning experiences' whilst undertaking placements in a student-led clinical learning environment (SLCLE) and any changes in self-reported ratings of confidence. BACKGROUND: The English NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (2023) highlights the need to expand domestic education of HCPs to meet workforce shortages. The demand for quality clinical placements to support the preparation of HCP students remains a challenge globally. A creative solution has been the development of student-led learning clinical environments in healthcare settings. SLCLEs provide high-quality learning experience, increase clinical placement capacity whilst maintaining patient care standards. A multisite NHS Trust adopted this model as evidence suggests HCP students will be better prepared on qualification to adopt registered practitioner professional responsibilities. This model has been integrated across three hospital sites within a large teaching hospital, providing care for a diverse population and designed to accommodate students from a range of HCP disciplines and higher educational institutions. DESIGN: A mixed methods convergent design. METHODS: An online survey was administered to SLCLE allocated nursing and allied health profession (AHP) undergraduate and graduate-entry first, second and third-year students (n=132). Face to face focus groups/individual interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of student participants (n=80) to evaluate their experiences of clinical learning in SLCLEs. Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics and paired t-tests, interviews using framework method. RESULTS: Undergraduate and graduate-entry students from four UK universities completed the survey (n=132), 103 students (78 %) responded. Most were year 2 students (n=43/42 %), pursuing nursing programmes (n=82/80 %). Most considered the SLCLE met their expectations (n=76/74 %), reported increased confidence post-placement (n=84/82 %), felt supported by staff (n=80/78 %), peers (n=93/90 %) and clinical educators (n=93/90 %). Self-reported confidence scores post-SLCLE were significantly higher than pre-SLCLE. On-line pre-placement information was infrequently accessed yet identified as an omission. Four themes were identified: (i) preconceptions and initial anxiety; (ii) empowerment, growth and a unique learning experience; (iii) collaborative inter-professional learning and support; and (iv) insights and anticipations. CONCLUSIONS: The SLCLE allocation enhanced students' confidence and knowledge. Support from clinical educators, ward staff and doctors was perceived as invaluable for creating a positive learning culture. Peer support and opportunities to lead care delivery contributed to students' professional development. The format and method for providing pre-placement information needs review as do strategies for avoiding delays in completing assessment documentation. Overall, the SLCLE experience offers much potential as a nurturing and effective learning environment for HCP students.

Utilisation of simulation-based learning to decrease student anxiety and increase readiness for clinical placements for speech-language pathology students.

PURPOSE: To investigate the use of two versions of a simulation-based learning experience (SBLE) to decrease speech-language pathology (SLP) students' anxiety and increase their confidence and sense of preparedness for clinical placements. METHOD: Two cohorts of third-year SLP students (n = 33) participated in a mixed-methods study with each cohort completing one version of the SBLE. Participants completed pre- and post-program quantitative ratings of anxiety, confidence, and preparedness for clinical placements and participated in focus groups. Three clinical educators also provided qualitative data in debriefs and interviews. RESULT: Significant decreases in student ratings of anxiety, and increases in confidence and sense of preparedness, were found for participants from both versions of the SBLE. No significant differences were found between changes in each measure between the two groups. Qualitative data from the student focus groups and clinical educator interviews described affective changes in the students, which concurred with the quantitative results. CONCLUSION: Results suggest this SBLE can be used to improve SLP students' self-perceptions of readiness for clinical placements. Comparable outcomes can be achieved for students using the shorter, less resource intensive version of the SBLE program, with reduced costs, to overcome barriers to its implementation.

Telehealth usability in a university student physiotherapy clinic during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: 'Telehealth' online delivery of physiotherapy was the only option during the Covid 19 pandemic in many areas. This was a challenge for physiotherapy training in student clinics where students, clinical educators (CEs) and clients were in three separate locations. The aim of this study was to determine the usability and acceptability of online delivery in a physiotherapy student clinic. METHODS: An observational cross-sectional design was used. Clients (adult clients or carers of paediatric clients), students and CEs participated in telehealth physiotherapy appointments over a Telehealth platform called NeoRehab. The three groups were then invited to complete the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ). The 21 item TUQ uses a 7-point Likert scale and covers six constructs (Usefulness, Ease of Use, Interface quality, Interaction quality, Reliability, Satisfaction). RESULTS: Data were analysed from 39 clients, 15 students, and seven CEs. The respective domain scores (SD) for Usefulness [(5.3 (1.5), 5.4 (0.7), 5.1 (0.7)] and Satisfaction [5.1 (1.6), 5.0 (1.0), 5.4 (0.7)] were similarly high across groups, while scores for Reliability [3.7 (1.5), 3.6 (1.0), 3.0 (0.5)] were similarly low across groups. Interface Quality [5.0 (1.5), 4.5 (1.2), 4.1 (0.8)] scores were similarly moderate. Ease of Use [5.6 (1.5), 5.3 (1.0), 4.1 (1.1)] scores were significantly higher in clients than CEs (p = 0.043). Interaction Quality [5.0 (1.4), 3.9 (1.3), 4.2 (0.9)] scores were significantly higher in clients compared with students (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: All groups agreed that the delivery format was useful, easy to use and provided a satisfactory service but was not reliable.

Feelings and thoughts of midwifery students during their first birth suite placement: A qualitative study.

This descriptive qualitative study aimed to understand the feelings and thoughts experienced by 4th year midwifery students during the first birth they attended during clinical practice. Focus group interviews were conducted with 22 final year midwifery students in Istanbul, Türkiye December 2020. The transcribed data were analyzed by the descriptive qualitative analysis method. The students experienced not only negative feelings such as fear, torment, anxiety but also positive feelings such as hope, excitement, and curiosity during the first birth practice. The situations that caused negative feelings and thoughts were not only the feelings of the students but also the conditions that negatively affected the care provided to the patient in the clinic. The clinical practice environment affects the feelings and thoughts of midwifery students about the birth process. For this reason, improving the clinical practice environment and supporting students throughout the education process may contribute to the development of positive feelings and thoughts when attending as a student for their first birth suite placement.

"This patient is not appropriate": Perspectives of physiotherapy students and clinical educators on exposing students to patients with complex needs during clinical practice placements.

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice placements play an important role in preparing students for challenging areas of clinical practice. Little is known about student learning needs for working with patients with complex needs during clinical practice placements, and clinical educator decision-making that underpins this exposure. PURPOSE: To explore the perspectives of physiotherapy students and clinical educators on exposing students to working with and learning from patients with complex needs during clinical practice placements across Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. METHODS: Six semi-structured focus groups with pre-registration physiotherapy students undertaking clinical practice placements (n = 19) and semi-structured one-on-one interviews with clinical educators (n = 20). Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four overarching themes were generated following analysis: 1) Complexity is challenging; 2) Tension between student exposure and patient care; 3) Variance in expectations; and 4) Readiness for complexity. CONCLUSION: Physiotherapy students and clinical educators recognize the challenges and importance of exposure to patients with complex needs. Student learning experiences are influenced by clinical educator decision-making, which is often unclear, leading to varying opportunities. This study highlights the need for enhanced support from clinical educators to prepare students for working with patients with complex needs.

Experiences of nursing students in A peer mentoring program during their clinical practices. A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical placements allow nursing students to develop the skills and attitudes necessary to provide care. Peer mentoring programmes seem to facilitate these achievements, but there are very few studies on the effects of peer mentoring on clinical placements and what it can bring to both mentors and mentees. AIM: To describe the perspectives of nursing students on a peer mentoring programme during their clinical placements. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive and exploratory study. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: First year and third year nursing students were included. METHODS: Focus groups were conducted with students after they participated in a peer mentoring programme during their clinical practice rotation. RESULTS: The support received from the student mentors was very important both academically and personally. Mentors also acknowledged having improved their teaching and leadership skills. CONCLUSIONS: Our results can be applied to future studies to inform peer mentoring programmes as a complementary teaching tool in clinical placements to improve leadership and empowerment in nursing students.

The role of perceived stress and social support in nursing students' satisfaction with their initial clinical placement: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To explore: a) students' perceived stress, social support and satisfaction with their initial clinical placement; and b) identify the relationship between perceived stress, social support and student's satisfaction with their initial clinical placement. BACKGROUND: Clinical placements are a central element in shaping future nursing professionals. Students' satisfaction with clinical placements influences their learning outcomes and intention to continue their studies. Students experience stress from various sources during their clinical placements and social support has been found to moderate their stress. However, there is a paucity of studies addressing the associations between perceived stress, social support and satisfaction with the initial clinical placement. DESIGN: Quantitative cross-sectional study. METHODS: Participants included 165s-year nursing students enrolled in the bachelor's program at a central university in Israel during their initial clinical placement. Data were collected between December 2022 and February 2023 using an online questionnaire that contained four parts: personal details, perceived social support, perceived stress and satisfaction with clinical placement. RESULTS: Students' perceived stress was found to be negatively correlated to satisfaction with their clinical instructor (r = -0.47, p < 0.001) and with their clinical placement (r = -0.47, p < 0.001). Positive associations were found between satisfaction with the clinical placement and satisfaction with the clinical instructor (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). Significant differences were found in perceived stress and social support according to sociodemographic characteristics. Students perceived stress, social support from family and friends and satisfaction with their clinical instructor explained 54% of their satisfaction with their initial clinical placements. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical instructors and nurse educators are central to students' initial clinical experience. It is recommended that they assess students' perceived stress in the clinical environment, integrate stress reduction strategies into the curriculum and encourage students to turn to various sources for social support. These can promote students' satisfaction and success in their studies.

Enhancing sense of belonging in nursing student clinical placements to advance learning and identity development.

Clinical placements are considered one of the "hallmarks" of nursing education. In these settings, students can build upon their theoretical learning by applying knowledge, practicing skills, connecting with nurses and other medical professionals, and creating opportunities to work with diverse populations. As a result, students begin to hone their nurse identity, and build confidence and self-esteem. Importantly, the development of a nursing identity through clinical placement work is improved by integrating opportunities that increase belongingness. Campus climate plays a significant role in creating the environment necessary for belongingness to flourish and leads to enhanced student learning. Taking the role of positive campus climate into consideration, this article argues that instructors supervising undergraduate nursing students in clinical learning environments must create inclusive climates for their students to increase positive educational outcomes. Specific recommendations for creating inclusive clinical learning environments are provided.

Preceptor's experience in supervising undergraduate nursing students in mental health: A qualitative study.

Preceptorship is considered an essential component in undergraduate nursing student's clinical placement, especially those in speciality units such as mental health. During the preceptorship relationship students are granted the opportunity to work alongside experienced nurses in the ward observing their interactions with patients and other professionals. In addition, students are able to build clinical confidence and competence. There is currently a gap in the literature around the preceptorship experience in the mental health clinical environment which warrants further exploration. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of Registered Nurses precepting undergraduate nursing students during mental health clinical placements. A qualitative, exploratory approach was performed. A total of eight registered nurses working in an acute in-patient mental health unit in a large regional hospital, were recruited and interviewed using a semi-structured interview technique. Thematic analysis was utilised to analyse the data resulting in the development of four overarching themes; (1) Time consuming and additional workload, (2) creating a safe environment, (3) providing and receiving feedback and (4) precepting is not a choice, it is an expectation. The results highlighted that preceptoring students was considered to be an extra workload that required significant time and effort. Preceptors also expressed concerns about student safety, emphasised the importance of feedback and acknowledged preceptorship as an expectation of registered nurses working in mental health. These findings underscore the necessity for further research to delve deeper into the experience of preceptors in mental health settings.

R425 first year student nurses 'experience of encounters with death of a patient during clinical placement.

BACKGROUND: In the course of caring, nurses often experience the death of patients, and this experience has an effect on the nurse. Every nurse responds to this experience in a different way, and it can be either a negative emotional response, or a positive emotional response. As part of their curriculum, R425 first-year student nurses are placed in clinical facilities to acquire competency in nursing skills, and here they may be exposed to patients dying. R425 is a South African Nursing Council regulation relating to the approval of and the minimum requirements for the education and training of a nurse (General, Psychiatric, and Community) and Midwife, leading to registration. End-of-life care can be rewarding, yet emotionally and psychologically challenging. Little is known about R425 first-year student nurses' experiences of patients dying while being cared for by nurses on clinical placement. The study, therefore, explored and describes R425 first-year student nurses' experiences of the death of a patient during clinical placement. METHOD: A qualitative exploratory descriptive and contextual research design was adopted, and a purposive, nonprobability sampling approach applied. Data were collected through unstructured individual interviews with 15 R425 first-year student nurses. Data were analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: Four themes emerged, namely, knowledge, psychological trauma, low self-esteem, and nutritional disorders, and subthemes were identified. Results reveal both negative and positive responses to encountering the death of patients, with more negative responses, and fewer positive responses. CONCLUSION: Results show that first-year student nurses struggle to cope with the death of a patient, mainly because they lack knowledge and the skills required to provide end-of-life nursing. It is the requirement for student nurses to be competent in a skill, 'last office', which involves laying out of a dead person. Such skill can be deferred in the first year of study, and can only be introduced at a later stage, either in third year or fourth year of study, when students are better equipped with knowledge and skills relating to dealing with death. There is a need to review the curriculum of R425 first-year student nurses, so that outcomes such as death and dying can be introduced in the third or fourth year of study.

How lack of support and recognition for RN preceptors is affecting nursing students' learning on placement.

The clinical placement environment plays a pivotal role in shaping the learning experiences and outcomes of nursing students. In this article, the challenges and dynamics within the clinical placement environment are examined, with a particular focus on the role of registered nurse preceptors. The multifaceted nature of the clinical landscape is highlighted with consideration given to the impact on both students and preceptors. Key to the success of any placement is the relationship between nursing students and their preceptors. The quality of this relationship directly influences the learning journey of students, with positive interactions contributing to enhanced learning outcomes and professional growth. However, within the literature, a range of challenges faced by nurse preceptors are captured, including limited support, recognition, and formal training. This lack of preparation and support not only impacts the well-being of preceptors but also compromises the quality of education provided to nursing students. In this article, the complexities of the clinical environment, including high patient acuity, demanding workloads and limited teaching time, are highlighted. If we are serious about preparing quality nurses, then we need to get serious about supporting those who are key to their learning and transition into practice.

Australian nursing students' experiences of workplace violence during clinical placement: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To identify the nature, degree and contributing factors of workplace violence (WPV) incidents experienced by Australian nursing students during clinical placement. DESIGN: Descriptive cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data were collected from 13 September to 25 November 2022. Eligible participants included all nursing students enrolled in nursing degrees at any Australian university who had completed at least one clinical placement. An adapted version of the WPV in the Health Sector Country Case Study survey was used. RESULTS: A total of 381 nursing students across eight states of Australia completed the survey. More than half of the students had experienced an episode of WPV; patients were the most frequent perpetrators. Personal factors of patients, staff and students, organizational factors and cultural norms within the workplace supported acts of WPV. CONCLUSION: Student nurses (SNs) most often experience violence from patients during direct care. Patient encounters are the core component of clinical placement. Education providers have a responsibility to effectively prepare students to be able to identify escalating situations and manage potentially violent situations. Registered nurses who supervise students during clinical placement require support to balance their clinical role with student supervision. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: Experiencing WPV can negatively impact relationships between students, healthcare professionals and care recipients. This results in personal distress, decreased job satisfaction and potentially the decision to leave the nursing profession. IMPACT: What already is known: SNs are exposed to WPV during clinical placement. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: More than half the SNs in this study experienced violence inclusive of physical, verbal, racial and sexual harassment. Patients were the predominant perpetrators. Implications for practice/policy: Interventions at individual and systemic levels are required to mitigate WPV. REPORTING METHOD: This study is reported using the STROBE guidelines.

Medical Students' Self-Perceptions of Harassment During Clinical Placement.

Objectives: Exploring workplace dynamics during clinical placement is crucial to determine whether medical students are encountering safe and meaningful learning experiences. The aim of this original article is to describe medical students' reported harassment experiences whilst on clinical placement. Design: Medical students in years 4 to 6 were invited to participate in the survey. In this mixed-methods study, data collection included demographic information, responses to the Generalized Workplace Harassment Questionnaire, and qualitative commentaries. Results: Two hundred and five students completed the questionnaire. Medical students experienced harassment in areas of verbal aggression, disrespect, isolation/exclusion, threats/bribes, and physical aggression. Concerning levels of occurrence were noted for disrespect, isolation/exclusion, and verbal aggression. Conclusions: Many medical students in this study reported experiencing harassment during their clinical placements indicating that harassment during clinical placement continues to be of concern in medical education. The findings indicate that further initiatives need to be designed to identify and respond to these cases of workplace harassment and that power imbalance and safe reporting appear to be further issues of concern. It was evident that students need to feel safe enough to be able to report harassment experiences to allow managers and educators to address the full extent of the problem.

Nursing students' experience of bullying and/or harassment during clinical placement.

PROBLEM OR BACKGROUND: Bullying is a recognised problem in nursing. Nursing students are particularly vulnerable. Bullying and harassment of nursing students can be detrimental to both students and recipients of care. AIM: This study aims to identify the incidence and nature of bullying and/or harassment experienced by nursing students in Sri Lanka. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey consisting of eight demographic questions and 15 items specific to the experience of bullying and harassment was administered to nursing students online. FINDINGS: A total of 656 students from 26 nursing education institutions in Sri Lanka participated. The majority were female with a mean age of 24.4 years. More than a quarter of respondents reported that they had experienced bullying and/or harassment while on clinical placement, with a further 16.7 % being unsure. Most bullying or harassment (55 %) occurred in hospitals with 29 % experienced in community settings. Registered nurses, including nurse managers and clinical facilitators were the most common perpetrators. Verbal abuse was the most frequent type of behaviour reported. DISCUSSION: These findings support existing literature that indicates that bullying of nursing students is an international phenomenon. The context of this study provides clues as to how culture may influence the problem. There is a need to better understand bullying and harassment in the environments in which it occurs, in order to identify strategies that can bridge cultures and settings. CONCLUSION: The incidence of bullying and harassment of nursing students in Sri Lanka is concerning. Further research is needed to identify and evaluate targeted strategies to help prevent negative outcomes in all nursing contexts.

Nursing students' perceptions of unfinished nursing care: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To investigate the prevalence, patterns and reasons for unfinished nursing care as perceived by nursing students. BACKGROUND: Unfinished nursing care (UNC) is a frequently observed phenomenon in the acute care setting. To date, studies have focused primarily on the perspective of nurses or patients, but another important perspective is that of nursing students who provide nursing care in all healthcare settings. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study. METHODS: The study included 738 undergraduate nursing students from nine Slovak universities. Data were collected between September 2022 and February 2023 using the Slovak version of the Unfinished Nursing Care Survey tool (UNCS). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The mean composite score of UNCS was 2.48 (SD=0.68). In general, 100% of nursing students reported that nurses missed at least one or more nursing care activities during their last clinical placement. The average number of missed nursing care activities was 11.2 per nurse as perceived by nursing students during their last clinical placement. Nursing students reported that the most frequently omitted nursing care activity was spending time with patients and their caregivers (3.15 ± 1.11; 92.9%). The most frequently reported reason for UNC was an inadequate number of nurses on the ward (4.31 ± 1.01; 98.1%). In the study, reported UNC could be predicted by previous experience in healthcare, previous clinical rotation, number of patients per shift, perceived staff adequacy and outcome expectations (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveal that UNC is a widespread phenomenon and all nursing students report this phenomenon during their clinical placements. Spending time with patients and their caregivers emerged as the most frequently omitted nursing care activity, highlighting the importance of patient-centered care. The primary reason cited for UNC was an inadequate number of nurses, highlighting staffing issues as a significant contributing factor. These findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to address staff shortages and improve nursing education to prepare students to address UNC in their future practice.

Gamifying simulated nursing education: a digital technology approach to enhancing pedagogy and student experience.

Higher educational institutions have responded to a shortage of clinical placements for students by adopting innovative approaches, such as the use of simulated learning environments. The integration of gamification in simulated placements presents a promising opportunity to enrich and diversify the learning experience. A series of game-based resources to support simulated practice learning was developed by the academic team at the University of Bolton. This study involved evaluating the experiences of students who engaged in these interactive scenarios to assess the potential impact of these digital interventions on learning. The findings indicate that the approach had a significant impact on student learning, improving both their knowledge and their confidence in applying procedures in practice. These findings are of particular significance since it is commonly considered that students in fields such as nursing, which are known for their emphasis on human-centred care, place less value on digital learning technologies.

Mapping interaction quality for nursing and medical students in primary care placement in municipal emergency care units: a systematic observational study.

Introduction: Primary care placement for nursing and medical students is vital for developing the competence to accommodate the increasing number of patients with multimorbid and complex conditions. Prior studies have suggested that interaction quality in primary care placement empowers learning. However, research mapping interaction quality in primary care placements in municipal emergency care units is lacking. This study aimed to systematically map interaction quality for nursing and medical students in primary care placement in two municipal emergency care units. Materials and methods: This study adopted a systematic descriptive observational design. Systematic observations (n = 201 cycles) of eight nursing students (n = 103 cycles) and six medical students (n = 98 cycles) were used to map interaction quality across six learning situations between March and May 2019. Observations were coded using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System-Secondary (CLASS-S). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman correlations. Results: Interaction quality is described in three domains: (I) emotional support, (II) framework for learning, and (III) instructional support, and the overall measure, student engagement. The results indicated middle-quality interactions in the emotional and instructional support domains and high quality in the framework for learning domain and student engagement. Correlations exhibited similar patterns and ranged from non-significant to strong correlations. Conclusion: The interaction qualities indicated a generally positive and supportive learning environment contributing to nursing and medical students' learning and active participation in work tasks related to their professional roles. Thus, this new form for primary care placement for nursing and medical students in the municipal emergency care units was found to be a positive learning arena. These results may enhance nursing and medical education programs in countries with similar health services and education. Health education, supervisors, peers, and others contributing to students' learning should recognize which interaction qualities may affect learning and how to improve quality, thus affecting supervisors' approach to training students. While the CLASS-S showed potential for mapping interaction qualities for nursing and medical students in primary care placement in municipal emergency care units, further studies are needed to validate the CLASS-S for use in clinical placement settings.

Core competencies for Registered Nurse preceptors: A mapping review of quantitative studies.

AIMS: To review the contemporary international literature on nurse preceptor competencies and map the components and their descriptors. REVIEW METHODS: A mapping review. DATA SOURCES: Articles reporting evidence-based and validated Registered Nurse (RN) preceptor competencies published between 2013 and 2022 were identified. Open access databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar and the library healthcare databases Scopus and CINAHL were searched. The authors collaborated at each review stage that included screening, article selection, tabulation, mapping and preparation of findings. RESULTS: Seven quantitative studies were included. Three were based on existing nurse preceptor competency data sets and four were purposely developed using collaborative research methods. Each study validated findings through a survey of nurse stakeholders. Three key competencies shared across all studies were 'facilitating teaching', 'being a role model' and 'evaluating student's performance'. The number of competency categories ranged from three to 10 and the accompanying item descriptors from 9 to 83. Although terminology describing data sets was inconsistent, similarity was seen across competency domains. CONCLUSION: The contemporary nursing preceptor role is considered an emerging specialist education role. The results offer a set of validated preceptor competency descriptors, applicable to practice, that provide insight into ways employers may recruit, support and retain nurse preceptors. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION: The mapped results provide a concise summary of nurse preceptor competency research internationally that can inform further development of RN preceptors. IMPACT: This review addresses the lack of consensus around nursing preceptor competencies for clinical supervision of undergraduate nursing students. Seven competency domains were identified describing key preceptor role capabilities. The domains Facilitator', 'Role model' and 'Evaluator' featured across the included studies: 'More than 300 competency descriptors were reported'. Our review results could better prepare RN preceptors for their important role. Employers of RN preceptors could use the results to design performance competencies that may enhance nursing preceptorship. REPORTING METHOD: This review adheres to the PRISMA-ScR EQUATOR guidelines as the recommended reporting method for mapping reviews.

Insights from the pandemic: an autoethnography of nursing clinical placement teams.

BACKGROUND: Designated placement staff, including academics, professional clinical support teams and stakeholder clinical teams, are responsible for organising students' clinical placements. Disciplines have reported sustained innovations in the way placement staff work following the pandemic. There are few published reports from nursing placement staff. Aim: Understand how challenges during the pandemic, may have led to disrupting the status quo for nursing placement staff. DESIGN: Nine academic, professional and industry nursing placement staff reflected on their daily work practices and team culture post the pandemic disruptions. The reflections were analysed using a descriptive thematic approach. RESULTS: Staff described "a double-edged sword" balancing fatigue from the dynamic situation increasing their workloads with wanting to seize opportunities to challenge the status quo. Three themes were identified. CONCLUSION: Clinical placement staff shared reflections are useful for identifying workplace initiatives that may enhance nursing and other disciplinary placement staff team culture and ways of working.