Managing the theory‐practice gap in nursing education and practice: Hearing the voices of nursing students in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Aim The aim of this study is to explore factors contributing to the theory‐practice gap in nursing education in the United Arab Emirates. Background The gap between what is taught in nursing classrooms and what is practised in clinical settings creates challenges for nursing students, practitioners, managers and educators. This has important implications for the United Arab Emirates and other developing countries as their healthcare systems require a permanent nursing taskforce that is well supplied with ready to practice graduates. Methods A qualitative descriptive approach was used, whereby 25 senior student nurses were interviewed about their perceptions of the theory‐practice gap. Results The major theme that emerged in this study was the ‘tripod of clinical practice’, with three subthemes: prepared students, aware and supportive preceptors and qualified clinical faculty. The other theme that emerged was ‘real life outside the simulated lab’, with two subthemes: various and unfamiliar psychomotor skills and communication with real patients. Conclusion The tripod of clinical practice must be achieved for quality clinical practice. Further, attention should be directed to development of skills (e.g., communicating with real patients) that are difficult to acquire while dealing with simulated patients. Implications for Nursing Management Nursing students need longer immersion in simulated clinical settings, coupled with experienced clinical faculty and supportive, aware and prepared preceptors.

Development of a Core Outcome Set for Randomised Controlled Trials of Nursing Education: A Methodological Framework

“…Nursing education research is important for developing nursing discipline and has signifcance for nursing management [4,5]. However, the results have been very heterogeneous due to the heterogeneous outcomes of previous RCTs in nursing education.…”

“…With the increasing aggravation of the ageing population, the nursing discipline's development is increasingly important [1,2]. Nursing discipline depend on the development of nursing education [3][4][5]. New nursing teaching theories [6], teaching methods [7], and teaching models have been applied more and more in nursing education, such as the problem-based learning teaching model [8], integrated teaching model [9], core ability teaching model, massive open online course teaching model, and fipped classroom teaching model [10].…”

Experiences of first year undergraduate nursing students using Instagram in their clinical practicum during COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

“…The use of Instagram was varied (sharing contents, stories, documentation, etc.). In the same vein, other studies highlight the use of social media to discuss the content used in the academic sphere ( Shafer et al, 2018 ) and to conduct tutorials and sessions with professionals, allowing students to improve their clinical training experience ( Carpenter et al, 2020 ; Saifan et al, 2021 ). Social media has gained special importance as an educational tool in the training of nurses.…”

“…Our results show that Instagram is used as a tool for integrating the theoretical knowledge acquired at university with “real” clinical practicums in hospitals. Saifan et al (2021) describe the existence of a gap between the knowledge acquired at university and clinical practicums and the appearance of another reality outside of the simulation laboratory. These authors highlight the difficulty of developing unfamiliar practical competencies (such as applying techniques) and communication with real patients.…”

An introduction to the TPSN model: a comprehensive approach to reducing the theory-practice gap in nursing

“…This gap and the resulting problems disrupt the process of professional socialization and lead to a negative professional identity in nursing [ 8 ]. Moreover, the theory-practice gap has adverse effects on students [ 9 ]. In this situation, nursing students are not able to resolve the conflict between the expectations of nursing teachers and realities of their workplace.…”