Nursing students' and preceptors' experience of assessment during clinical practice: A multilevel repeated-interview study of student-preceptor dyads.

Nursing students' learning process during clinical practice is dependent on the quality of their assessment, and the feedback that is given, however an issue that is very little examined. The aim of this study was to investigate student-preceptor dyads and their experiences of mid-course discussions and final assessment. Data were collected through repeated semi-structured individual interviews with 13 dyads close in time to the assessment discussions, and were analyzed by searching for similarities and differences in their experiences. Both students and preceptors shared the view that the preparations before the discussions caused uncertainty, but they described different reasons. Both students and preceptors meant that the assessment tool was used in a structured way. The feedback mediated to students emphasized what was important to concentrate on in the next part or next period, but less about the individual students' progress. The student-preceptor dyads did not share the view of what content had been in focus in the discussions and there were variations in the details. Conclusions can be drawn that one of the crucial elements of an assessment discussion, to give students constructive feedback in relation to learning outcomes, was not fulfilled.