Nursing Students' Perceptions and Lived Experiences of Their Theoretical Academic Preparation

Abstract

In the United States, academic nursing programs prepare nearly 360,000 individuals annually for licensure using educational preparation that is primarily composed of clinical and theoretical academic preparation. Nursing student preparedness from a clinical perspective is well documented in the literature. Theoretical academic preparation is classroom-based learning, and a gap exists in understanding how theoretical academic preparation contributes to student preparedness for practice and licensure separate from clinical learning. The purpose of this study was to describe nursing students’ perception and lived experience of theoretical academic preparation. A qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological study was conducted to explore perceptions and experiences of theoretical academic preparation of baccalaureate nursing students. Nursing students in their final year (n=16) were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide at a large public Midwestern university. Participants described theoretical academic preparation based on participants’ personal definition and the courses they took. While participants had never previously reflected on their theoretical academic preparation, when interviewed, they described a multifaceted experience of the concept. Four major themes emerged: giving, receiving, interpreting, and demonstrating. Each theme had subthemes to describe perceptions and experiences of theoretical academic preparation. This study contributes a better understanding of students’ perception and experience of their learning to help instructors be intentional with how resources are provided and how instructors deliver content in their courses.