Exploring how nursing students and facilitators view learning in the clinical environment

Background. The complexity of modern healthcare demands that nursing students acquire a range of competencies to function within diverse clinical environments. While there are some studies on how students understand learning, there is less evidence on how they or facilitators understand their roles in this process. Objectives. To explore how nursing students and facilitators understand clinical learning and their respective roles therein. Methods. A qualitative methodology within an interpretivist paradigm was used. Convenience sampling was employed with nursing students (n=16), as well as their facilitators (n=4). Focus groups discussions and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Results. Four themes were identified, including the role of context; the relational dimension to learning; learning as a structured process; and the dual responsibility of learning. These themes are interrelated, and while students and facilitators shared some similar thoughts about their roles, other views were clearly different. Conclusion. The findings point to the development of curricula that encourage students to take an active role in their learning and offer some recommendations for faculty development initiatives to assist facilitators in improving learning experiences for students.