Expectations and experiences of nursing students in clinical courses: A descriptive study.

Background: Students entering nursing programs have expectations for what they will encounter in the clinical setting.

Objectives: Nursing student excitement about beginning clinical, expectations for learning, anticipated time to prepare for each clinical day, and learning styles were examined.

Design: Descriptive study.

Setting: Baccalaureate nursing program in a public university in the Southeastern United States.

Participants: Students enrolled in their first clinical nursing courses.

Methods: Students responded to a survey at the beginning of their junior year (n = 96) and to a follow-up survey at the end of that academic year (n = 72). The initial survey asked what they were most excited about for junior year clinical experiences, what they expected to learn, the best way to learn skills and new content, and how long they expected to spend preparing for the clinical experience. The follow-up survey asked students what they were most excited about related to the upcoming senior year clinical experiences, what they thought were the important things they learned during their junior year that would help them practice as a registered nurse, and how long, on average, they spent preparing for clinical experiences.

Results: Initially, students were excited about experience/practice/observation and they expected to learn nursing skills and procedures. They expected to learn how to communicate effectively with patients and families. These same categories were dominant at follow-up. Learning styles for a new skill or new content varied among the students. Expectations for time in clinical preparation and time actually spent in this activity differed.

Conclusions: Students were excited and expected to learn predominantly nursing skills through hands-on experiences and active communication with patients. They have a variety of learning styles. Faculty must embrace expectations and learning styles of students and provide a variety of learning opportunities. Also, faculty should dispel unrealistic ideas about clinical experiences.