The health sector is not only central to keeping us all in top shape but one that includes many roles that do this. Nursing is a good example and an enduringly popular career choice for those looking to move into the health industry.
As you might expect, you cannot work as a nurse without the right qualifications behind you though. For those looking to enter nursing, the first port of call is studying for a bachelor’s degree in nursing to become a registered nurse. In addition to this, additional study is needed when looking to progress a career in this health niche. A good example is when qualified RNs look at family nurse practitioners as their next step.
Working as an FNP would first need you to hold the relevant master’s degree, with Carson-Newman University’s BSN to FNP online program being one to consider. With affordable tuition rates and the chance to complete it in just 32 months, this course teaches students all they need to know to become a family nurse practitioner. Once this type of course has been completed, you would then need to meet any state/national licensing requirements to work as an FNP.
Clinical placements are key to nursing courses
Whether you are studying a BSN, MSN-FNP, or any other academic course in healthcare, clinical placements will likely play a major role. This sees students getting hands-on experience in nursing in a practical setting. This is done under the guidance of experienced preceptors who help you through your placement.
But why does the practical experience these placements offer create better patient outcomes? Below we will explore the specific skills built through clinical placements.
Building competency in a real-world setting
In simple terms, these kinds of placements help students take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it in the real world. Without the ability to put theory into practice, students would not be as well-prepared for their future role post-graduation and not be able to offer as high levels of patient care.
Building familiarity with common resources
It is not just building core competencies with key tasks that these kinds of nursing placements are beneficial for in terms of patient outcomes. They are also crucial for enabling student nurses to become familiar with using common equipment, resources, and tools which future roles may call for.
It also means colleagues do not have to spend time showing them how to use key equipment and thus spend less time caring for patients themselves. As a result, other staff have more time to monitor patients and this gives a real boost to outcomes across healthcare in general.
Placements in nursing develop people skills
Finding ways to develop your people skills is something that can prove useful in many sectors and your daily life – but it is especially valuable for nurses looking to create better patient outcomes.
By doing this, you offer a much better experience for patients and help them feel happier whilst recovering. This can leave them in a more positive place mentally and this can have a major impact on their overall recovery.
In addition, building a connection with patients can also make them more cooperative in terms of following their care plan or listening to your explanations about why they need to follow it. This is also beneficial for improving patient outcomes as a nurse.
In conjunction with this, placements teach students entering nursing for the first time how to engage with patients/colleagues professionally. This is also very important for new nurses to learn and ensures they always act in a way that drives better outcomes through high-level care.
Feedback to improve and deliver better outcomes
Feedback is something which we all rely on in life – people who spend a lot of time working on a computer for example, may find advice about the dangers of staring at a screen for long periods useful to reflect on. Feedback is also key when it comes to clinical nursing placements and helps students see where they need to improve. This naturally leads to qualified nurses who can perform at a higher level and create better patient outcomes.
By focusing their attention here and following the feedback given by preceptors, student nurses can fix any weaknesses they have and provide better care to patients. This in turn drives more positive patient outcomes across the sector when they move into their role after graduation.
The guidance received on clinical placements can also prove beneficial for better patient outcomes in a more direct sense.
Clinical placements are good for students and patients
There is no doubt that clinical placements in nursing are crucial for creating better patient outcomes in several ways. The level of care patients receive would just not be the same without clinical placements in place and would see nurses learning on the job in any new role. This would be less than ideal and showcases just why this kind of placement remains a central part of all nursing degrees.
