Students say more basic nursing care learned in clinical settings

(HealthDay)—Nursing students in the Netherlands report learning more about basic nursing care during clinical placement, rather than in a classroom, according to a study published online Feb. 5 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Getty Huisman-de Waal, Ph.D., from Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and colleagues surveyed nursing students (vocational level, 30 participants; bachelor level, 226 participants) from six nursing schools in the Netherlands. Questions focused on their perception of basic nursing care education in general (both theoretical education and clinical placement), particularly in relation to nutrition and communication.

The researchers found that students reported that they learned more about basic nursing care during clinical placement than during theoretical education. Low numbers of students from both education levels reported learning about nutrition protocols and guidelines during theoretical education. Vocational students reported that they learned more about different aspects of communication during clinical practice than theoretical education.

"Basic nursing care seems to be largely invisible in nursing education, especially at the bachelor level and during theoretical education," the authors write.