Educational preparation for clinical nursing: the satisfaction of students and new graduates from two Australian universities.

Background: Attrition rates among young and newly registered nurses are high; the capacity of nurse education programmes to prepare nurses for their professional role and the extent to which they are supported during the transition from student to registered nurse may be important factors.

Objectives: This paper examines nursing student and recent graduate satisfaction with their education, focusing on their preparation for work.

Design: A descriptive cohort design was used, combining qualitative and quantitative methods to measure and interpret satisfaction.

Setting: Two Australian universities, one urban and one regional.

Participants: 530 undergraduate nursing students and recent graduates from the Bachelor of Nursing programmes at the two universities.

Methods: Data were collected via an online survey. Satisfaction with the programmes was measured with closed format questions covering different aspects of the programmes and a single open ended question. Responses were compared between older and younger respondents and between graduates and students at different stages of the programme.

Results: Older students were more dissatisfied than younger students with the amount and type of training and their preparation for nursing work. First year students reported the highest levels of satisfaction, and third year students the lowest. The majority of graduates and third year students thought that the programme only partly prepared them for work in nursing. The free text comments particularly highlighted concerns with the amount and quality of clinical education.

Conclusions: Programmes need to take account of the learning requirements of students to maximise the integration of theory and skill development in hospital environments with limited staffing and resources. The clinical environment and support received impact on the quality of learning and satisfaction of student nurses. Students who are dissatisfied with their educational and clinical experiences may choose to change their career direction.