First year pre-registration nursing student perceptions of community nursing roles: a thematic analysis

Abstract

Nursing is the largest qualified professional workforce in the UK, with TV programmes, films, books and other media sources frequently informing the general public's views of nursing roles. This study examines first year pre-registration nursing students' perceptions of community nursing roles, using a qualitative design and questionnaire. Participants included pre-registration nursing students from a university in north west England: a mean of 240 and 68.5% across all questions. Of those invited, 267 were adult nursing students; 53 were mental health nursing students; and 30 were child nursing students. Data were collected using an online questionnaire across two groups and analysed thematically. Four questions were considered relating to students' knowledge of community nursing. Results uncovered knowledge gaps, and community roles were perceived to be less dynamic than secondary care roles, correlating to clinical tasks and popularised media sources. Results provided insight into student nurse perceptions, offering an understanding from which to construct a more inclusive, community-focused nursing curriculum.