Perceptions regarding the clinical accompaniment of student nurses in the Limpopo Province: research

Abstract

A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional survey was carried out in the Limpopo Province to identify the perceptions of student nurses, nurse educators and unit supervisors concerning student nurses' clinical accompaniment in this province. The research objective was to determine whether or not clinical accompaniment of student nurses in the Limpopo Province was perceived to be adequate by the student nurses themselves as well as by the nurse educators and the unit supervisors. The population for this study comprised all second-, third- and fourth-year student nurses, all nurse educators from the university and the colleges, and all unit supervisors from the health institutions within the Limpopo Province of the Republic of South Africa. Simple random sampling was used to ensure that every student nurse from each nursing college had an equal chance of being chosen. No sampling procedures were applied to university student nurses, nurse educators and unit supervisors as these entire small target populations participated in the research. A self-designed questionnaire was used for data collection. The face and content validity of the items were accepted by three experts in the field. The Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) program was used to analyse data. The research results indicated that student nurses and nurse educators focussed on educational outcomes while unit supervisors focussed on patient care outcomes during clinical accompaniment. Both student nurses and unit supervisors expected nurse educators to accompany student nurses in the clinical settings, but the majority of the nurse educators did not perceive clinical accompaniment to be one of their tasks. Student nurses' clinical accompaniment could be enhanced if nurse educators would be available in the clinical situations and if communication and interpersonal relationships among various categories of nurses could be improved. In-service education could also help to realise this ideal.


Key Words: Accompaniment; Clinical teaching / learning; Perceptions / expectations of clinical learning


OPSOMMING

‘n Kwantitatiewe, beskrywende, deursnitopname is gebruik om die persepsies van verpleegstudente, verpleegopvoedkundiges en eenheidstoesighouers oor verpleegstudente se kliniese begeleiding in the Limpopo Provinsie te identifiseer. Die navorsingsdoelwit was om vas te stel of die kliniese begeleiding van verpleegstudente in die Limpopo Provinsie voldoende was, al dan nie, soos waargeneem deur die studente self, asook deur die verpleegopvoedkundiges en eenheidstoesighouers. Die populasie vir die studie het alle tweede-, derde- en vierdejaar verpleegstudente asook alle verpleegopvoedkundiges van die universiteit en die kolleges, en alle eenheidstoesighouers van die onderskeie gesondheidsinrigtings binne die Limpopo Provinsie van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika (RSA) ingesluit . Eenvoudige ewekansige steekproefneming is gebruik ten einde te verseker dat elke verpleegstudent van elke verpleegkollege ‘n gelyke kans gehad het om gekies te word. Geen steekproewe is van universiteitstudente, verpleegopvoedkundiges of eenheidstoesighouers geneem nie, aangesien hierdie klein populasies in die geheel aan die studie deelgeneem het. Vraelys wat self ontwerp is, is benut om data in te samel. Die sig- en inhoudsgeldigheid is deur drie deskundiges op dié gebied aanvaar. Die “Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS)” program is gebruik om die data te ontleed. Die navorsingsresultate toon aan dat verpleegstudente en verpleegopvoedkundiges op opvoedkundige uitkomste fokus, terwyl die eenheidstoesighouers op pasiëntsorguitkomste tydens kliniese begeleiding konsentreer. Beide verpleegstudente en eenheidstoesighouers het verwag dat verpleegopvoedkundiges studente in die kliniese situasies sou begelei, maar die meeste verpleegopvoedkundiges het nie kliniese begeleiding as een van hulle pligte beskou nie. Die kliniese begeleiding van verpleegstudente kan bevorder word indien verpleegopvoedkundiges beskikbaar sou wees in die kliniese eenhede en indien kommunikasie asook interpersoonlike verhoudings tussen alle kategorieë verpleegkundiges sou verbeter. Indiensopleiding kan ook help om dié ideaal te verwesenlik.



Health SA Gesondheid Vol.9(3) 2004: 15-27