Jette Lind
University College Absalon, Denmark
Title: Being a newcomer in a clinical nursing practice
Biography
Biography: Jette Lind
Abstract
During the nursing education in Denmark, the students spend 40% of the time in clinical training. They study in a surgical ward, a medical ward, a mental hospital and primary health care. They encounter a variety of conditions such as traditions and learning environments as well as patients and relatives in different life situations. The aim of this study is to gain knowledge about nursing students’ experiences of being a newcomer in the nursing clinics. Data is generated as a part of 5th semester nursing students’ training in research methods. Nursing students conducted 18 qualitative interviews with younger students focusing on their first days in a new clinic. Based on a phenomenological analysis, we found characteristics of being a newcomer such as being in good hands, feeling welcomed, being allowed to practice, as well as feeling unwelcome, awkwardness, shattered illusions and the feeling of being excluded. The results have implications for improvements of the study preparation lectures as well as for the further collaborations between the fields of theory and practice.