“Seeing beyond the expected.” Nursing students’ experience in community practice and collaborative learning: A qualitative study

Rapidly ageing populations are putting a strain on healthcare due to their increasing chronic conditions and complex comorbidities. Community care is an important part of the healthcare system and community healthcare workers are under pressure to care for the growing ageing population. It is crucial to recruit healthcare workers in community care to address the ageing population. This study aimed to explore the nursing students' experiences in community care through their participation in a community collaborative programme. An exploratory qualitative study with purposive sampling was used. Thirty nursing undergraduate students who attended a 1-year Community Collaborative Programme, conceptualised by incorporating the IPE collaborative patient-centred practice conceptual framework, participated. Five focus group discussions were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Participants reflected on how their experiences influenced their perception of community care and their views on collaborative learning within an interprofessional team. Thematic analysis was used for the data analysis in this study. Four themes emerged from the data, namely (i) appreciating community care, (ii) developing community practice competence, (iii) valuing collaborative learning and (iv) managing constraints and barriers. Guidance from mentors during CCP allowed participants to develop the competencies needed to care for the ageing population, value interprofessional collaboration and manage constraints and barriers pertaining to community care. The participants understood the challenges and gained a deeper appreciation for community care. A non-hierarchal interprofessional relationship will prepare future nurses to meet the emerging healthcare need in the community, and will be beneficial to be included in future clinical curriculum.