School nurses' experiences of supervising school nursing students

Supervision of prospective school nurses during their clinical placements is a central aspect of specialist training, yet little is known about how school nurses themselves perceive this role. This study aims to shed light on school nurses’ experiences of supervising students, with a focus on the challenges and opportunities that arise when both the supervisor and the student are registered nurses.

When a student is enrolled in the Specialist Nursing Program to become a School Nurse, it is mandatory to complete clinical training. Clinical training is a practice-oriented course aimed at providing the student with the opportunity to develop both their theoretical and practical skills.

The clinical training supervisor, in collaboration with the responsible manager, is responsible for providing learning environments so that the goals of the students' clinical training are met.

Variation in experiences challenges the supervisor

Supervision is conducted individually and in dialogue with the student. The variation in students' previous experiences can challenge the supervisor in how to meet and accommodate the individual needs of each student.

Another potential challenge may be that both the student and the supervisor are licensed nurses, which can lead to a perception of more collegial supervision.

The experiences of clinical training students have been studied in several studies, both at the undergraduate and advanced levels, but there is currently a lack of research on school nurses' experiences of supervising future school nurses.

Questions such as: How does the school nurse experience supervising future school nurses, their experiences of supervising a student who already has a professional license and potentially extensive experience in the profession, and their perceptions of how a school nurse can best meet and supervise the student at their individual level, are some of the questions that we seek answers to.

Purpose

The purpose of the research project is to highlight school nurses' experiences of supervising school nursing students during their practice-based training. The study is intended to be conducted using a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach.

Through a qualitative design, a deeper understanding can be gained of people's lifeworlds and experiences. Lifeworld theory is an essential part of phenomenology and can clarify people's relationship to the world around them and to each other (Dahlberg, 2014).

From this perspective, school nurses' experiences of supervising school nursing students during their clinical training will be illuminated through interviews.

The interviews will be analysed using meaning analysis according to Dahlberg (2014).

The study is relevant both for the development of school nurses' practice-based training, the profession of school nursing, and for the future health of our children and youth.