Walk Awhile in My Shoes: Operating Room (OR) freshmen's perception of Near-peer shadowing program (Preprint)

Abstract

The key challenge for Operating Room (OR) students is to understand the relation between preclinical and clinical stages. The near-peer shadowing program through linking lowerclassmen with upperclassmen connects preclinical and clinical phases of the curriculum.

This study aimed at studying perceptions and experiences of OR freshmen who participated in a near-peer shadowing program.

This study used a mixed method in the form of an embedded design. All students in the class were invited to participate. . The statistical population included all first-year OR students in undergraduate program of Nursing and Midwifery school of Zahedan and Paramedical School of Zabol. In total, 50 OR freshmen entered this study. The program was evaluated quantitatively using a questionnaire and qualitatively through focus groups. Quantitative data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire to assess students’ perception regarding the near-peer shadowing program. We used SPSS software version 26 to compute descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed via conventional content analysis to augment the quantitative data.

The majority (58%) of students considered the shadowing program beneficial, 70% agreed that the program was effective in enhancing their academic motivation for deeper and more practical learning, and 78% believed that the program increased their knowledge regarding their future profession and enhanced their interest in it. The qualitative content analysis extracted three main categories: (i) learning with a shadower: an opportunity to move beyond individual learning, (ii) situational learning: an opportunity to move beyond abstract learning, (iii) reflective learning: an opportunity to move beyond observation

By familiarizing students with the OR profession through shadowing program and early confrontation with OR environment, they gained more reasonable and comprehensive knowledge of their academic field of study, they learned new topics more straightforwardly, and they had more effective communication and interaction with other students. The shadowing program provided several opportunities for freshmen: (i) presence in the OR environment and clinical setting through accompanying seniors, (ii) upgrade freshmen’s rudimentary knowledge of their study field, and (iii) increase their motivation towards OR-related profession, and (iv) efficient approach to enhance collaborative and interactive learning in clinical setting. The shadowing program can be adjusted and adopted for other paramedical disciplines.