EXPLORING ONLINE APPROACHES FOR CLINICAL POSTCONFERENCE IN NURSING EDUCATION WITH CLINICAL INSTRUCTORS

Abstract

Clinical education involves nursing students working in a healthcare setting under the supervision of a clinical instructor or preceptor. Traditionally, the final hour of a clinical shift is dedicated to post conference, an opportunity for learners to gather and engage in debriefing and critical reflection for the purpose of learning from their experiences. Several factors, such as lack of time and energy, can impact the quality of critical reflection during clinical post conferences. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis research was to explore clinical instructors’ experiences with clinical post conference, either in-person, online or blended, and the meaning critical reflection has for each of them, within the context of conferencing. Data was collected with in-depth, semi-structured interviews, which were audio-visual recorded. An interpretative phenomenological analysis, along with a hermeneutic circle, were used to identify themes regarding clinical post conference (in-person, online or blended) and critical reflection. Both idiographic and convergent themes were identified, which highlighted the value instructors hold for clinical post conference within nursing education, and I make recommendations to prepare educators for online or blended approaches for teaching and learning. Some of the themes have provided a foundation to develop recommendations for planning a meaningful clinical post conference learning experience for both nursing instructor and learner.