Crighton, Elizabeth, Ooms, Ann, Milner, Maria and Heaton-Shrestha, Celayne (2024) A four-field evaluation of students’ final placement experiences and their preparation to transition from student to newly qualified nurse : a mixed methods evaluative research study. In: RCN Education Forum National Conference & Exhibition 2024 : Future Insights : Enabling Professional Practice in Health and Social Care Nursing Education; 23-24 Apr 2024, York, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Abstract

Nurse retention remains challenging and is most problematic mong newly qualified nurses. Therefore, preparing and supporting students to successfully undergo the transition from student to registered nurse is essential. Role transition is recognized as a challenging time for students as they are navigating challenges to successfully complete their programme of study, join the NMC register, and seek employment. The final placement is pivotal in preparing nursing students for transition to NQN (Crighton et al., 2018). This presentation presents the finding of a study exploring final placement experiences and preparedness of BSc and MSc students from all four fields of nursing. Students at one London-based university were invited to complete an online questionnaire and participate in an online focus group. Finding show that students reported having opportunity to practice leadership and management skills (e.g. delegation, time-management, planning and prioritising care and clinical decision-making) and reported a growth in skill acquisition and confidence. Students valued the support they received from a range of clinical and academic staff, including support related to seeking employment. The vast majority of students recognised that their final placement had a (major) impact on their readiness to transition to NQN with nearly 65% reporting that they felt (very) well prepared to transition to NQN. Factors negatively impacting on transition focused around inadequate support, poor teamwork, communication and feeling tired and unhappy. Nearly all students (94.11%) had secured their first jobs during the final placement. Factors which influenced their first-choice jobs included opportunities for professional development, availability of a preceptorship programme, and the time and cost spent travelling to work. Themes from the focus group centred around developing knowledge and skills, confidence and progression, learning opportunities and the importance of timely support. These findings have implications for curriculum planning and developing support for final placement students in practice.

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