Limited resources in clinical facilities: Experiences of nursing students during placements

Abstract

Background: Students need resources in the clinical areas to integrate theory and practice. When healthcare facilities have limited resources, students encounter momentous challenges that negatively affect their learning and supervision.

Objectives: To explore the experiences of nursing students during placements in limited-resourced clinical facilities.

Method: A qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was used. The setting was four hospitals, where students were placed for clinical experience. The population was nursing students in the third and fourth levels of their study who were sampled purposively. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews and analysed using a coding method. Thematic analysis was done.

Results: Limited staff led to poor student supervision and evaluation and absenteeism, and students were used as the working force, whereas limited resources led to the disintegration of theory and practice and procedures flawed.

Conclusion: Resources in healthcare facilities are significant in student supervision. Therefore, the management in those facilities needs to ensure that the resources are always available.

Contribution: The study contributes to bringing to light how the limited resources impact students’ learning and how this can impact future nursing practice.