Capturing, exploring and understanding the experiences of undergraduate student nurses undertaking a pre-registration nursing degree course using an adapted experience based co-design approach

Abstract

Background
The quality of student experience in higher education plays an increasingly important role in attracting and retaining pre-registration nurses. Identifying and understanding the students' experiences of their course is a necessary step in the move towards improving the student experience. Experience Based Co-design (EBCD) is successfully established as an effective process for improving patient experience in a health care setting. This study presents the use of EBCD outside of healthcare, specifically in a higher education setting.

Objectives
To capture, explore and understand the experiences of students' undertaking a pre-registration (adult) nursing course, and co-design potential improvements for future experiences through the application of an EBCD approach.

Methods
An adapted EBCD approach was utilised for gaining insight into what shapes students' experience of the nursing course and to collaboratively produce priority recommendations for course improvement. Semi-structured interviews, emotional touchpoint mapping and co-design events were conducted with undergraduate nursing students (n = 22) and staff stakeholders in a pre-registration (adult) nursing course (n = 19). Findings were analysed using the ‘Six phases of thematic analysis’ (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

Results
Students had varied experiences on the nursing course, both positive and negative, particularly with student support. Three priority recommendations for course improvement were identified from the findings including: facilitating and supporting student development of independent study skills, enhancing student support in the clinical practice placement environment and clarifying and enhancing the role of the academic advisor.

Conclusions
Findings from this study highlight areas for improvement on a pre-registration nursing course that could impact future students' experience. Furthermore, this study appears to be the first documented as using EBCD in a higher education setting with the focus on students, that enabled students and staff stakeholders in the nursing course to co-design priority recommendations for course improvement.