Utilization of nursing home residents for development of assessment skills

• Nursing homes offer a variety of residents who also have a variety of conditions.
• Nursing homes provide repeat opportunities to practice skills.
• Nursing homes improve communication skills and increase student confidence.
• Nursing homes provide a slow pace environment for learning assessment skills.

Acquiring strong assessment skills is imperative for nursing students in order to enhance their learning experiences and future nursing practice. Nursing homes offer a quality clinical experience exposing students to residents experiencing multiple chronic diseases with various levels of physical and cognitive functioning in a slower paced environment. Students' perceptions validated that the nursing home setting provided an effective clinical environment for the development of assessment skills.