Teaching and learning the art of nursing through aged care work experience

To explore how working as an undergraduate Assistant in Nursing, in an aged care setting, contributed to the preparation of novice nurses for new graduate practice. The art of nursing, while not clearly defined reflects behaviors and actions that embody the values of nursing. The aged care setting is underutilized as a clinical learning environment but can potentially teach novice nurses the importance of human relationships and connectedness that underpin the art of nursing. This paper reports on the qualitative phase of a broader study. Semistructured interviews were used to collect narrative data. Narrative analysis was undertaken to construct meaning from stories shared by participants. The COREQ checklist was used as the reporting framework for the study. The aged care setting was found to be a valuable learning environment for novice nurses. Two primary narratives are presented: aged care as a learning environment, which describes barriers and supportive learning factors within the aged care setting; and learning the complexities of nursing care, which illustrates the significance of caring interactions and the practice of holistic care. The value of aged care work experience is in developing humanistic skills such as the importance of social interaction. These are paramount to providing care and building therapeutic relationships.