Theory – Practice Gap: Challenges Experienced by Nursing Students at the Satellite Campus of a Higher Education Institution in Namibia

Abstract

Background: Theory practice gap is the discrepancies found between what students learn in the formal classroom setting and what they experience in the clinical settings. Observations reveal that nursing as practised is task-centred and students rarely get involved in anything approaching the total care of individual patients, thus leading to theory-practice gap.Objectives: The study explored and described the challenges faced by Bachelor of Nursing (clinical) honours students when integrating theory into practice in the clinical settings.Method: The study, which was granted ethical clearances from two institutions, drew on an exploratory phenomenology methodology to gather data from ten nursing students registered at a satellite campus. The participants were purposively selected with data collected via focus group interviews. Thereafter, data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis. The study data collection and analysis adhered to ethical principles and quality measures in order to ensure credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. Results: Nursing students experience challenges in integrating theory and practice. These challenges are grouped into four themes; theory verses practice, limited resources in clinical settings, discriminatory attitudes and communication barriers.Conclusion: Nursing students appreciated accompaniment and supervision by nurse educators. However, the accompaniment’s impact on learning may be undermined through the students’ limited exposure to clinical cases. Therefore, long-term strategies are recommended for effective integration of theory with practice.

Development and psychometric evaluation of nurses’ perception towards the gap between knowledge and practice

“…The tool revealed how a nurse's past and current background could affect the knowledge–practice gap, covering several dimensions related to knowledge, practice, environment and means of learning. Prior evidence had shown that the knowledge–practice gap for nurses is affected by various factors, which include personal motivation (Bagheri & Bazghaleh, 2016), educational content (Kerthu & Nuuyoma, 2019), clinical training (Hanifi et al., 2012) and organizational factors (Cheraghi et al, 2010).…”

Development of collaboration guidelines for nursing education and related healthcare services

“…Nursing students often face confusion when there is a mismatch between theoretical knowledge and its application in real clinical settings (Factor, Matienzo & De Guzman 2017 :84; Kerthu & Nuuyoma 2019 :24). The practical experience in healthcare services often differs from the idealised scenarios presented in theory classes.…”

Understanding Clinical Learning Quality Aspects in Mental Health Nursing Practice Course among Students: A Comprehensive Examination

“…Previous studies have explored the relationship between theoretical and clinical performance in nursing education [ 18 , 19 , 20 ]. A study conducted in the Philippine nursing university found that academic success in theoretical classroom instruction had a positive influence on the clinical or practical phase of nursing education [ 21 ].…”