Clinical Placement: Experiences, School and Hospital-based Gaps and Challenges of Undergraduate Nursing Students of the University of Cape Coast

The goal of the study was to assess the school-based and hospital-based gaps and challenges among undergraduate nursing students. The specific objectives of the study was identify the gaps between school-based and hospital-based learning, explore students’ clinical practice experiences and to determine the challenges students encounter during clinical placement. The Explanatory Mixed Method Design was used for the study. For the quantitative part, the simple random sampling technique was used to select 141 study participants. Questionnaires were used to collect numeric data. Quantitative data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 21. For the qualitative part, purposive sampling was used to select five participants for interviewing. Braun and Clarke (2006) steps for thematic analysis was employed to analyse the responses for the interviewing. The qualitative data was used to validate the quantitative results.The findings from the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the study point to common gaps and challenges and experiences of nursing students. The findings showed a consensus on differences in types of equipment and availability of equipment, learning experiences and clinical nursing practices between the hospital and school settings. Challenges with students attending more errands, poor supervision and combining school and academic work were also highlighted in the two data sets. However, the two data sets suggest that nurses create an enabling environment for the students to meet their learning objectives. This study has highlighted areas that require improvement and further research. Gaps and challenges with school learning and clinical placement in terms of making students aware of their objectives, availability of equipment, ensuring proper supervision and feedback need to be addressed. Keywords: Undergraduate nursing, clinical placement, hospital learning, theory-practice DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-5-04 Publication date: February 29th 202

Industrial Attachment: Perspectives, Conceptions and Misconceptions of Students at Cape Coast Polytechnic, Ghana

The general objective of the study was to evaluate the perspectives, conceptions and misconceptions of students on Industrial Attachment. The study employed the descriptive research design. In all one hundred and seventy-one (171) students participated in the study. Questionnaire was the main instruments for data collection. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics including chi-square tests and correlation analysis were used to ascertain the associations and relationships between variables.The study revealed that students benefit immensely from industrial attachment. The study also found out that students were interested, happy and also had good perception about the Industrial Attachment activity, however; they wished that the duration for Industrial Attachment could be extended to two months or more. Moreover, the study discovered a strong positive correlation between student field of study and industrial experience. Notwithstanding the benefits, it was discovered that greater percentage of the students had difficulty getting an industry for attachment. It is therefore recommended that the polytechnic review and extend the period or duration for attachment to enable students familiarize themselves better with the operations of the industry. Since the study revealed that students found difficulty in securing industrial placement, it is recommended that the polytechnic take-up the responsibility by assisting students to search for places for attachment. This can be achieved through a closer working relationship with the industry. Beside, the polytechnic should also ensure that students are placed in institutions or industries where they can have a practical feel of their study fields. Keywords: Attachment; Experience; Perception; Competencies and on-the-job Trainin

Access and effectiveness of Intermittent Preventive Treatment with Sulfadoxine Pyrimethamine during pregnancy in Africa: A scoping review protocol

scoping revie