Medisinske praksisstudier i forsterket sykehjemsavdeling – en ny mulighet i sykepleierutdanningen?
Sammanfattning
Introduction and aim: This article reports a study of a clinical placement project involving nursing students in Norway. The project focused on medical nursing and took place in three specialized nursing home units. According to Norwegian National Curriculum Regulations for the Bachelor’s in Nursing program, medical clinical placements should take place in hospitals. After the Coordination Reform in 2012, however, the Norwegian health services are rapidly changing, with more emphasis being placed on community health care. Many community nursing homes now have highly specialized, somatic short-term units that offer more advanced treatment and care than before. This study explores whether such units are suitable arenas for achieving the learning outcomes set for medical clinical placements in Norwegian nursing education programs at bachelor’s level. Methodology: The nursing students who had completed the clinical placement project, their mentors and placement teachers, were interviewed using a qualitative approach. Results: The findings suggest that specialized nursing home units provide a wide range of learning opportunities consistent with achieving the learning outcomes set for nursing students in a medical clinical placement. However, this requires careful selection of suitable nursing home units, as well as a close collaboration on different levels between the educational institution and the nursing home. Conclusion: Specialized nursing home units may represent a new arena for medical clinical placements in Norwegian nursing education, as an alternative to medical clinical placement in hospitals.