Living on the edge: issues that undermine the capacity of residential aged care providers to support student nurses on clinical placement.

Abstract

This paper reports in part on the Building Connections in Aged Care Project about developing quality clinical placements for undergraduate nursing students in residential aged care in Tasmania, Australia. Informed by an action research approach, and using multi-methods data collection, the three-stage project explored issues impacting on students' experiences of placement, implemented strategies to address identified issues, and tested the sustainability of achievements gained. This research highlights the vulnerability of residential aged care facilities to changing conditions and shows how problematic circumstances related to staffing and workloads can readily undermine their capacity to provide supportive teaching and learning environments for students.