Broadened recruitment and broadened participation in Nursing Education Challenges and possibilities for teachers

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to contribute to the development of knowledge on the current broadened recruitment and broadened participation in nursing education. This will be done by investigating what this means for the teaching in nursing education in a situation where there is an increased need to educate more nurses. Theory: The theoretical foundation of the study is based on the sociocultural theory with the concepts of situated learning and mediated learning and from the relational perspective. Method: The study is conducted with qualitative semi-structured interviews with teachers, supervisors and coordinator for special pedagogical support in Swedish nursing education. Data is analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The results show that the teaching staff in nursing programs experience both challenges and opportunities through the broadened participation in the education. The diversity of students is perceived positively, but the teaching needs to change and develop to accommodate larger student groups with different conditions and abilities. The informants describe challenges with students’ language skills both in the theoretical teaching and in the clinical teaching. As a nurse, it is important to be able to communicate both verbally and in writing to provide safe care. Special pedagogical support with adaptations is used in the theoretical teaching but is perceived as more difficult to implement in the clinical education.