Elsevier

Nurse Education Today

Volume 66, July 2018, Pages 57-62
Nurse Education Today

Factors underlying perceptions of community care and other healthcare areas in first-year baccalaureate nursing students: A focus group study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.04.004Get rights and content
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Abstract

Background

Despite the increasing labour market shortage of well-educated community nurses, few baccalaureate nursing students choose for a career in community care. Obtaining knowledge of how students perceive healthcare areas early in their education is important to take meaningful steps in counteracting any existing misconceptions with targeted curriculum redesign.

Objective

Determination of factors underlying perceptions of healthcare areas in first-year baccalaureate nursing students.

Design

A descriptive qualitative study using focus group inquiry.

Methods

This study follows up on a large-sample quantitative multicentre survey study. Fourteen first-year nursing students at a university of applied sciences in the Netherlands participated in focus group discussions in October 2014. Transcripts of the discussions were coded by two independent researchers at three levels – open, axial and selective coding – on the basis of two templates. The codes were sorted into categories and assigned to suitable main codes in the templates. The number of sub-codes per category and code were added together.

Results

Eight main themes were formulated, to wit (1) variety and diversity, (2) challenges, (3) improving people's health, (4) collaboration, (5) role models, (6) patient- or environment-based perceptions, (7) self-efficacy and (8) immediate vicinity. Data suggest that first-year students have clear ideas about the characteristics which they consider important in professional practice. Their perceptions do not necessarily reflect the actual situation, as they expect the hospital to possess all desired characteristics while community nursing seems to be undervalued.

Conclusion

To remedy students' misperceptions, four recommendations are formulated for curriculum redesign strategies deriving from the eight themes. These recommendations are based on collaboration between school and care organisations as well as on themes related to in-depth knowledge within the educational programme. The interventions will potentially help to strengthen the focus on community care, which will foster a more optimistic and realistic career outlook on this field.

Keywords

Community care
Focus group
Healthcare areas
Nursing education
Nursing students
Perceptions

Cited by (0)

1

ACHIEVE - Centre of Applied Research, Faculty of Health, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Tafelbergweg 51, 1105 BD Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

2

Centre of Evidence Based Education, Academic Medical Centre, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

3

Open University of the Netherlands, Valkenburgerweg 177, 6419 AT Heerlen, The Netherlands.

4

Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Centre, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.