Where Is the Nursing?: Baccalaureate Nursing Students' Perceptions of Nontraditional Child Health Clinical Placements

Background: Nursing students tend to look forward to their child health clinical placement in a hospital setting. However, there has been a shift away from hospital experiences to nontraditional community settings. When students are notified that the clinical settings are in the community, they often are disappointed. However, on completion of the placement, students' preconceptions about the community setting often have been changed positively. Method: This qualitative study using focus groups explored the pre- and postperceptions of nursing students in nontraditional clinical placements. Results: The overarching theme was Where Is the Nursing? This theme was underpinned by subthemes of the value of the placement and role (expectations and self-identification as a nurse). Conclusion: Participants were able to identify key aspects of nursing (e.g., communication, building relationships), but many of the students did not view these as nursing skills. In addition, some participants had difficulty identifying their roles as nurses.