BACKGROUND:Designated placement staff, including academics, professional clinical support teams and stakeholder clinical teams, are responsible for organising students' clinical placements. Disciplines have reported sustained innovations in the way placement staff work following the pandemic. There are few published reports from nursing placement staff. Aim: Understand how challenges during the pandemic, may have led to disrupting the status quo for nursing placement staff.DESIGN:Nine academic, professional and industry nursing placement staff reflected on their daily work practices and team culture post the pandemic disruptions. The reflections were analysed using a descriptive thematic approach.RESULTS:Staff described "a double-edged sword" balancing fatigue from the dynamic situation increasing their workloads with wanting to seize opportunities to challenge the status quo. Three themes were identified.CONCLUSION:Clinical placement staff shared reflections are useful for identifying workplace initiatives that may enhance nursing and other disciplinary placement staff team culture and ways of working.

Background: Work Integrated Learning experiences contribute to nursing student attrition and preparation for practice. A predicted global shortage of nurses requires healthcare organisations and education providers to review and implement new models of Work Integrated Learning to best prepare and retain nursing students for practice. Work Integrated Learning opportunities within the same healthcare facility may improve nursing student’s clinical learning experiences.Objectives: To explore student experiences during a Work Integrated Learning Community (WILCo) model and their intention to remain working at the healthcare facility upon graduation.Design: A longitudinal, exploratory, qualitative research study utilising focus groups.Settings: Tertiary teaching hospitals in regional New South Wales Australia.Participants: A convenience sample of Bachelor of Nursing students (n = 26) studying at a regional university in Australia who were participating in the WILCo program were invited to participate in this research.Methods: Focus groups were conducted with students after the completion of their Work Integrated Learning experiences (n = 16) during their degree. Data were thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke’s framework.Results: Five themes emerged: ‘learning local’, ‘belonging’, ‘collegiality’, ‘piecing together the puzzle’: ‘theory and practice’ and ‘looking to the future’.Conclusion: Work Integrated Learning opportunities at the same healthcare facility had a positive effect on student’s sense of belonging and collegiality. The continuity of the placement allowed familiarity with complex systems, processes and healthcare staff, which reduced stressors. This collaborative Work Integrated Learning initiative was successful in improving the quality of the student learning experience and their intention to seek employment within the healthcare facility.

AIM:This study aimed to gain a better understanding of nursing/midwifery students' perspectives on a pedagogy of caring and online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, it aimed to determine if the COVID-19 pandemic impacted students' perceptions and experience of online learning and students' desire to enter the nursing/midwifery workforce. DESIGN:Mixed methods. METHODS:A multi-centre cross-sectional survey of Australian nursing and midwifery students was undertaken to explore students' experience of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS:There are several key findings from this study that may be relevant for the future delivery of undergraduate health education, students transitioning to practice and healthcare workforce retention. The study found that although students were somewhat satisfied with online learning during COVID-19, students reported significant issues with knowledge/skill acquisition and barriers to the learning process. The students reported feeling less prepared for practice and identified how clinical staff were unable to provide additional guidance and support due to increased workloads and stress. The textual responses of participants highlighted that connection/disconnection, empathy and engagement/disengagement had an impact on learning during COVID-19. CONCLUSION:Connection, engagement and isolation were key factors that impacted nursing students' online learning experiences. In addition, graduates entering the workforce felt less prepared for entry into practice due to changes in education delivery during COVID-19 that they perceived impacted their level of clinical skills, confidence and ability to practice as new graduate nurses/midwives. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION:Not applicable. IMPACT:Attention must be given to the transition of new graduate nurses and midwives whose education was impacted by pandemic restrictions, to support their professional career development and to ensure retention of future healthcare workforce. Connection, engagement and isolation were key factors that impacted nursing students' online learning experiences. Educators should consider how connection and engagement can be actively embedded in the online learning environment.

Background: High-quality clinical placement experiences are important for preparing undergraduate student nurses for practice. Clinical facilitation and support significantly impact student placement experiences and their development of skills, knowledge, and attitudes in the healthcare setting.Aim: This research aimed to explore university-employed clinical facilitators' perspectives on providing quality clinical facilitation and student learning on placement.Design: An exploratory, descriptive research design was used to examine the perspectives of n = 10 university-employed clinical facilitators working in regional New South Wales, Australia (March 2020-December 2021).Methods: Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the experiences of a purposeful sample of university-employed clinical facilitators. Data was thematically analysed using Miles et al.'s (2014) qualitative data analysis framework.Results: Five key themes were identified 1) relationships at the core of quality, 2) a culture of commitment to student learning, 3) connection to the curriculum, 4) examining the model, and 5) empowering growth and development. Clinical facilitators perceive their role as misunderstood, undervalued, and isolating and that they require further preparation and ongoing professional development to provide quality facilitation. Building rapport and relationships with staff and students was at the core of quality clinical facilitation.Conclusions: The clinical facilitator role has an important function in preparing student nurses for practice and needs further recognition and continued professional development. Education providers and healthcare organisations need to examine strategies to provide inclusive and supportive work environments, building communities of practice for clinical facilitators and stakeholders to share their experiences and knowledge, promoting individual and group learning, thus improving the student placement experience and fostering the professional identity of clinical facilitators.

Aim: This study aimed to gain a better understanding of nursing/midwifery students’ perspectives of the changes to the delivery of undergraduate nursing/midwifery education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, assess whether students perceived a caring pedagogy in their online learning, and investigate whether students’ intention to continue their education and enter the nursing/midwifery workforce has changed due to the pandemic and/or changes in education delivery. Design: Mixed methods Methods: A multi-centre cross-sectional survey of Australian nursing and midwifery students were undertaken to explore students experience quantitatively and qualitatively of learning during COIVD-19 pandemic. Results: There are several key findings from this study that may be relevant for future delivery of undergraduate health education, students transitioning to practice, and health care workforce retention. The study found that although students were somewhat satisfied with online learning during COVID-19, students reported significant issues with knowledge/skill acquisition and barriers to the learning process. The students reported feeling less prepared for practice, and identified how clinical staff were unable to provide additional guidance and support due to increased workloads and stress. The textual responses of participants highlighted that connection/disconnection, empathy and engagement/disengagement had an impact on learning during COVID-19. Conclusion: This finding suggests the importance of connection alongside the decreasing face to face interactions (for example increased reliance on social media, increasing use of online learning). This study highlights several key findings for consideration in nursing and midwifery education, the profession, and the broader context of healthcare. Graduates entering the workforce post COVID-19 have had to overcome significant barriers to education and clinical placement learning which will have impacted their level of clinical skills, confidence, and ability to practice as new gradate nurses/midwives.

OBJECTIVES:Investigate the use of mobile technology to support Work Integrated Learning in undergraduate nursing programs.DESIGN:Integrative review with narrative synthesis.DATA SOURCES:Electronic databases searched in February 2021 included CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE and APA PsychInfo.REVIEW METHODS:The methodological framework described by Whittemore and Knafl (2005) guided this integrative review. A total of five (5) studies published between 2017 and 2020 were analysed and synthesised.RESULTS:Data was categorised into two themes: 1) Accessibility of Learning Resources, and 2) Effective and Timely Communication. Convenient and easy access to Learning Resources at the point of care improved students' confidence and competence to perform clinical skills, thereby reducing student's anxiety and increasing satisfaction rates. The accessibility to educational and skills-based resources also promoted patient safety at the point of care. Effective and Timely Communication improved engagement and collaboration between students, clinical facilitators and academics, enabling a more supportive environment that improved student autonomy and motivation for self-directed learning. The Effective and Timely Communication of student progression and assessment strategies was found to improve student engagement and motivation to be independent learners.CONCLUSION:This review contributes important knowledge because internationally there is a need to increase knowledge and understanding of how to best support Work Integrated Learning experiences of student nurses. Mobile technology has been recognised as an innovative tool in education, further research investigating its use to support Work Integrated Learning in undergraduate nursing programs is required.

Supervision and delegation are important leadership skills that nurses require when practising within the multi-tiered nursing team. In response to increasing demands globally on healthcare systems, Nursing Assistants are becoming more prevalent members of the nursing workforce in the acute care setting. An exploratory descriptive research design was used to examine supervision and delegation of Nursing Assistants in an acute hospital setting in Victoria, Australia. It was found that supervision and delegation in the context of a multi-tier nursing team required a complex assessment and decision-making process which was influenced by multiple factors. This research promotes developing transparent nursing practices and mutual understanding in the multi-tier nursing team to facilitate effective supervision and delegation based on informed decision-making and culture of openness and trust. Pre-registration education and continuing education and support for nurses are important to build transparent supervision and delegation practices and teamwork, empowering the nursing team to practice to their full scope of practice to provide high-quality patient care.