Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Department of Community Medicine, Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok, Sikkim
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study has been carried out to study the usefulness of the clinical posting at the
National Referral Hospital in Bhutan. It is important to know whether the clinical experience leads to
gaining nursing skills, and nursing being a skill‑oriented profession, clinical placement provides an
opportunity, and education that carry a heavy weight in their wholesome nursing education.
OBJECTIVE: The objective was to explore how nursing students commonly perceive their clinical
experience.
METHODS: A focus group discussion was conducted with eight to ten students/group from three
levels of nursing education. The groups were 1st‑, 2nd‑, and 3rd‑year students who expressed their
clinical experiences during the focus group discussions. The data were analyzed by content analysis
using a thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Four themes emerged from the focus group discussion. The themes were “good exposure,”
“connect theory to practice,” “anxiety and fear,” and “learning by task participation and helping.”
CONCLUSION: The clinical environment is different to classroom. In clinical areas, the students
experience stress and anxiety, and learning is through working together, moreover, it finds out that
real situation is not what is taught in the classroom.
Keywords
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