Understanding the Expectations of Nursing Students Following the First Clinical Internship: A Qualitative Study.

The objective of this study was to describe how nursing students' expectations are achieved after the first clinical internship. A longitudinal qualitative study using purposive sampling was used in a public nursing school in Barcelona, Spain. Fifteen nursing students attending their internship for the first time. Data were collected in 2019 using semi-structured interviews until data saturation was reached. Interviews were conducted before and after the completion of the first clinical internship. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The students experienced some negative issues they did not think about, such as excessive homework, feeling a worker, not a student, loneliness, and learnings influenced by chance. Positive assessments of the accessibility of the placement location and the experience of the clinical instructor have a powerful influence on the student, allowing for the assessment and integration of the student in the health team. The practical learning is mediated by chance in terms of center, service, teacher, and clinical instructor assigned. It is crucial to establish consensual measures among all the actors involved to facilitate the objectivity of teaching and learning.