Primary care clinical placements: The views of Australian registered nurse mentors and pre-registration nursing students (part 2)

• Pre-registration nursing students regarded primary care placements positively and as an appropriate learning opportunity.
• Relationships with the RN mentor; and welcoming and belongingness were central to maximising primary care placements.
• Pre-registration nursing students have a limited understanding of the role that nurses play in primary care.
• Registered nurse mentors would benefit from additional support to guide student teaching and learning.
• Further research should explore placements in alternative primary care settings; primary care nurse recruitment and retention .

An increased burden of chronic and complex conditions treated in the community and an aging population have exacerbated the primary care workload. Predicted nursing shortages will place further stressors on this workforce. High quality clinical placements may provide a strategic pathway to introduce and recruit new nurses to this speciality. This paper is Part 2 of a two part series reporting the findings of a mixed methods project. Part 1 reported on the qualitative study and Part 2 reports on the quantitative study. Forty-five pre-registration nursing students from a single Australian tertiary institution and 22 primary care Registered Nurse (RN) mentors who supervised student learning completed an online survey. Students largely regarded their primary care placement positively and felt this to be an appropriate learning opportunity. Most RNs were satisfied with mentoring pre-registration nursing students in their setting. Furthermore, the RNs desire to mentor students and the support of general practitioners (GPs) and consumers were seen as key enablers of pre-registration nursing placements. Findings from this study provide a preliminary impression of primary care clinical placements from the perspective of pre-registration nursing students and registered nurse mentors. Further research should examine whether a broader scope of non-traditional health settings such as non-government organisations, charities, pharmacies, welfare and social services can also provide appropriate learning environments for pre-registration nursing students.