Taking on the student role: how can we improve the experience of registered nurses returning to study?

Regardless of the number of nurses who undertake graduate certificate courses in critical care nursing in Victoria, Australia, there is still a shortage of skilled nurses in the critical care areas. Preparation for practice in this specialist field has moved from hospital-based programs to tertiary-based courses during the past decade. As a consequence, there has been scrutiny of the clinical ability of graduates to perform the role function. Although this is understandable, anecdotal evidence to date indicates that students in these courses experience many difficulties, yet very little is written about the stressors they encounter. As the future of the critical care work force depends on a constant supply of students undertaking courses, it is essential to gain insight into the student experience, with a view to optimising it for future students and perhaps preventing attrition from courses. This paper describes a qualitative research study involving 14 students undertaking a graduate certificate course in critical care nursing. The aim of the study was to document the students' experience in relation to factors they identified as helping or hindering their progress on the course. Data were obtained at three points during the academic component of the course: on entry, at the end of semester 1 and at the end of semester 2. Interviews and questionnaires were used as the data collection methods. Results indicate that for this group of students, the experience of undertaking the course was adversely affected by stress related to three factors: change of role from clinician back to student; unmet expectations, and exhaustion. Recommendations related to preparation for study, curriculum timelines and peer support are included in this paper.