Dutch Student Nurses’ Experience With Clinical Learning Environment: a Challenge for the Changing Role of the Nurse Teacher
The overall aim of this small-scale study was to develop a composite view of the learning experience of student nurses of Windesheim University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands whilst they were in hospital in clinical practice. The study focused on how the student nurses perceived the cooperation with the nurse teacher. METHODS. This study describes the results of a specific sample from a European study with 1903 student nurses from 9 Western European countries. A quantitative method was chosen using a questionnaire. The Dutch study sample comprised 150 nurse students, and 85 respondents (57.3%) were included in the analyses. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS. Student nurses from Windesheim were generally satisfied with their learning in clinical practice. The role of the nurse teacher as an integrator of theory and practice appeared to be not clearly defined and comprehensed. CONCLUSIONS. Recent European research in nursing stimulates the discussion about the role of the nurse teacher in clinical placement of student nurses. The student nurses from our study did not clearly understand the role of the nurse teacher; they were not convinced about the capability of the nurse teacher to support the integration of theoretical knowledge and everyday practice of nursing. A question arises whether the nurse teacher has to adopt alternative methods or strategies to support student nurses’ learning in the clinical environment.
Correspondence to E. Tichelaar RN, M HCSW, MSc, 8023 BH, 7, Zwolle, The Netherlands. E-mail: e_tichelaar@hotmail.com