Clinical teachers’ approaches to nursing

Aims and objectives. The aim of the study was to investigate clinical teachers’ experiences of nursing and clinical teaching of undergraduate university students. This article reports on clinical teachers’ approaches to nursing, which is one part of that study. Background. A lack of knowledge and understanding exists about how clinical teachers approach nursing. There is a likely relationship between approaches to nursing and what is focused on when teaching undergraduate nursing students in the clinical setting. It is therefore important to understand the variation in how clinical teachers approach nursing. Design. Phenomenography. Method. Semi‐structured interviews of 20 practicing nurses currently employed as clinical teachers from a range of Australian universities were conducted. Data were analysed using a phenomenographic approach. Results. Key aspects of variation in clinical teacher approaches to nursing were identified. The results suggest that clinical teachers approach nursing in one of two ways, either a patient‐focused approach or a nurse‐focused approach. The research findings extend knowledge that will assist with preparation and support of clinical teachers. Conclusion. Knowledge of the different approaches to nursing provides a structure for helping clinical teachers increase their awareness of both their approach to nursing and the implications for their nursing and teaching. Relevance to clinical practice. Awareness of complex approaches to nursing may be required for multidisciplinary care.