Fijian Nursing Students Perspectives and Experiences during Rural Clinical Placement

Aim: This study explored the experiences of Fijian Nursing students during rural clinical placements in Fiji. Background: Clinical placements play an important role in shaping the professional attributes of nursing students, the ability to link theory to practice and manage patient care efficiently. Rural clinical placements prepare nursing students for the opportunity for employment opportunities after graduation in rural settings. Methods: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was conducted among 21 nursing students in a Fijian University using focus group discussions. Results: The experiences gained during the rural attachment placed student nurses to understand the cultural aspects of village life, the difficulties faced by the people in the remote areas with lack of resources, and the distances they must travel to reach for a medical consultancy at the health care facilities. This experience also highlights that students will be prepared to face these challenges when they are posted to such remote areas after graduation and be prepared to serve the communities with a positive mind. Moreover, students viewed clinical supervision by nurse educators as sufficient, conversely some of them faced challenges with lack of supervision during the placement. Student nurses were appreciative of the experiences they gained through making mats and handheld fans, learning the culture of sharing, teamwork and the welcoming nature of the community they were attached to during the clinical placement. Discussion: The findings suggest that Fijian student nurses valued their rural clinical placements, learned new skills, but faced few challenges such as time constraints and lack of essential resources while undertaking some nursing activities during the placement. This experience has enhanced great learning opportunities and preparedness amongst student nurses who intend to do rural nursing as future professional nurses. Conclusion: Despite the positive experiences reflected in this study, some aspects of supervision and the challenges faced by Fijian nursing students need to be improved. Implications for nursing & health policy: Remote and rural health care is in great need for improved facilities and resources to deliver optimum nursing care to the community. Nursing schools may also need to improve support for the nursing students while they are placed in remote/rural areas, with appropriate knowledge, skills and material resources to provide efficient nursing care to the people of Fiji.