Les Perceptions des Étudiants en Soins Infirmiers Pédiatriques en Milieu Communautaire

Over the last decade health care delivery has shifted from hospitals to the community resulting in a significant reduction of hospital-based clinical placements for nursing students to practice and learn. Studies have emerged describing this problem and outlining the ways in which Colleges and Universities have attempted to deal with the acute shortage of clinical areas in nursing and other health care programs. Several studies describe the development of community-based clinical experiences, and some of these examined students’ perceptions. One finding appears to be constant: student perceptions of community experiences have an effect on their learning outcomes. There is an increasing need to teach nursing students in community settings both to contend with the shortage of hospital-based placements and to prepare students for future practice. Pediatric hospitals are no longer able to provide as many clinical placements as they once did. This has created a problem for college nursing departments. Over the past five years, John Abbott College’s pediatric nursing teachers have attempted to deal with this problem in numerous ways; however, students and faculty were dissatisfied with the solutions as there was a lack of development of the pediatric community clinical component. The purpose of this study is to explore nursing students’ perceptions of pediatric community experiences both prior to the start of the clinical rotation and following the experience. Student perceptions of nursing in community settings are an important element in the level of student satisfaction and ultimately their learning in pediatric clinical settings. In order to explore the John Abbott College’s nursing students’ perceptions, data was collected from a small segment of the population. Students’ perceptions were explored quantitatively through the use of questionnaires using a Likert scale administered both prior to the clinical experience and following the experience; and qualitatively, using content analysis of reflective journals and focus group discussions. The results of the study demonstrated that prior to the community rotations; students did not know what the experience would involve. They felt apprehensive due to being inadequately prepared for the experience and questioned the actual learning they would acquire from a community setting. Following the pediatric community experience, students perceived benefits to their learning particularly in the development of their abilities to communicate with children, and to recognize and apply principles of growth and development to children of different age groups and with different health needs. In addition, students perceived an increase in their self- confidence when teaching children. They also developed an appreciation of the role of the nurse in health promotion for individuals’ in community settings. Furthermore, students described an increase in their awareness of resources that are available in the community. Overall, students were satisfied with their pediatric community clinical experience. The results of this study indicate that adequate student preparation is required prior to the community clinical experience. This preparation would include a clear description of the clinical objectives and associated learning activities, as well as an explicit explanation of the evaluation process. Finally, it is recommended that the pediatric nursing teachers continue to search for community clinical areas that can enhance student learning in pediatrics. This study contributes to the literature on community experiences for nursing students since it explored students’ perceptions before and after the community clinical rotation.

Nursing students' perceptions of community pediatric experiences.

Over the last decade health care delivery has shifted from hospitals to the community resulting in a significant reduction of hospital-based clinical placements for nursing students to practice and learn. Studies have emerged describing this problem and outlining the ways in which Colleges and Universities have attempted to deal with the acute shortage of clinical areas in nursing and other health care programs. Several studies describe the development of community-based clinical experiences, and some of these examinated students' perceptions. One finding appears to be constant: student perceptions of community experiences have an effect on their settings both to contend with the shortage of hospital-based placements and to prepare students for future practice.

How are Canadian universities training and supporting undergraduate medical, physiotherapy and occupational students for global health experiences in international low-resource settings?

Abstract : OBJECTIVES : Canadian medical (MD), physiotherapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) students increasingly show an interest in global health experiences (GHEs). As certain moral hazards can occur as a result of student GHEs, a growing consensus exists that universities must have an established selection process, in-depth pre-departure training (PDT), adequate onsite supervision and formal debriefing for their students. This study aimed at identifying current practices in Canadian MD, PT and OT programs and discussing areas for improvement by comparing them with recommendations found in the literature. METHODS : Canadian MD, PT and OT programs (n = 45) were invited to answer an online survey about their current practices for GHE support and training. The survey included 24 close-ended questions and 18 open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics and a thematic analysis were performed on the data and results were discussed with recommendations found in the literature. RESULTS : Twenty-three programs responded to the survey. Student selection processes varied across universities; examples included using academic performance, interviews and motivation letters. All but 1 MD program had mandatory PDT; content and teaching formats varied, as did training duration (2-38 hours). All but 1 MD program had onsite supervision; local clinicians were frequently involved. Debriefing, although not systematic, covered similar content; debriefing was variable in duration (1-8 hours). CONCLUSIONS : Many current practices are encouraging but areas for improvement exist. Integrating global health content into the regular curriculum with advanced study option in global health for students participating in GHEs could help universities standardize support and training.