Impact of Nursing Clinical Elective Courses on New Graduate Nurses' Clinical Practice

Abstract

Background: Clinical elective courses provide additional specialty knowledge for prelicensure nursing students; however, it is unknown how these courses impact nurses' clinical practice after graduation. Purpose: To describe how clinical nursing electives impact graduates' clinical practice. Methods: A mixed-methods descriptive design was used. Students who graduated from a prelicensure nursing program were sent an electronic survey and participated in qualitative interviews. Results: Thirty-three graduates completed the survey, with 9 participating in interviews. Sixteen graduates worked in clinical practice areas that were the same, or related to, the clinical elective they took. Many graduates felt that taking the elective course improved their confidence in the clinical setting and provided increased knowledge that put them at an advantage over their peers. Conclusion: Clinical electives may offer a means to meet health care system needs by preparing a more confident, knowledgeable new graduate in specialty areas in which nurses are needed most.