Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Collegian
Volume
31
Issue
2
First Page
69
Last Page
76
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Nursing and Midwifery
RAS ID
64762
Abstract
Background: Clinical placements (CPs) in the final year of nursing education largely impact nursing students’ professional development by exposing them to nursing realities. Nursing students also use placement exposure to identify suitable career opportunities for their upcoming professional life. However, there is limited evidence on how final-year CPs may attract pre-registration nursing students into different nursing specialties, including hospital and non-hospital settings. Aim: To explore the influence of CPs in the final year of nursing education on pre-registration student nurses’ career decisions. Method: A narrative inquiry approach was utilised. A purposeful sample of 12 final-year students from two Western Australian public universities participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews. This article follows the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. Findings: The final-year CPs mainly influenced nursing students’ career decisions in three ways: they helped them create new career paths, and some students refined their career plans while others reaffirmed their career choices. Four main themes were generated, including nature of the clinical environment, ward or unit culture, preceptorship, and career progression. Conclusion: The final year of study is crucial for nursing students as they make career plans in preparation for the transition to their professional roles. The students make short- and long-term career plans at this stage, which may influence their commitment to nursing. Implication for practice: The outcome of this study may assist stakeholders in nursing education and health care in developing policies for CPs and students’ career guidance. These policies may encourage pre-registration nurses to develop career interests in the less-preferable nursing specialties such as community nursing and residential aged care.
DOI
10.1016/j.colegn.2023.11.004
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Anyango, E., Ngune, I., Brown, J., & Adama, E. (2024). “I changed my mind after my placement”: The influence of clinical placement environment on career choices of final-year pre-registration nurses. Collegian, 31(2), 69-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2023.11.004