Previous work experience and age do not affect final semester nursing student self-efficacy in communication skills

• BackgroundWith the continuing increase in the older population, being able to communicate with the elderly is one of the many important skills in caring for older people. Therefore, student nurses need support during education to be prepared with the necessary communication skills to meet these demands.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to describe the development of communication skills during nursing education.DesignA quantitative descriptive and comparative study.SettingsThe nursing programme at a university in an urban area of Sweden.ParticipantsStudent nurses in the first and third year in a nursing programme in Sweden in 2015.MethodsData were collected with a self-efficacy questionnaire and analysed with descriptive and comparative statistics.ResultsThe student nurses in the final semester had a higher self-rated ability to communicate with older people than students in the second semester of the education year. There was also a difference in self efficacy between students with or without former experience of health care work or work in care with older persons in the second semester. However, these differences were not seen in the final semester. The age of the students did not affect the self-efficacy rate in either semester.ConclusionsStudent nurses in the present study scored themselves relatively highly, while student nurses in previous studies expressed a need for more communication skills training. Further studies with observations of student nurses' actual communicative skills in clinical and simulations settings are needed, to pinpoint weak spots and targets for such an education.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Communication

Caring

Nurse education

Self-efficacy

Questionnaire

Care of older persons

Hälsa och välfärd

Health and Welfare

Människan i vården

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)