Clinical supervisors' experiences and perceptions of the practice education facilitator role: a qualitative study.

backgroundIn Norway, official bodies have emphasised the use of joint clinical-academic roles. One example is the practice education facilitator role, which promotes and supports the clinical learning environment by offering guidance to clinical supervisors and nursing students. Prior research indicates that such roles can enhance the clinical learning environment for nursing students, but recent research, particularly from the Norwegian context, is lacking.

aimThe study explored clinical supervisors' experiences and views on how, under what circumstances, and why the role of practice education facilitators influences the clinical learning environment.

methodsA qualitative exploratory approach was chosen. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus groups and analysed using thematic analysis. In total, 12 clinical supervisors from departments with an affiliated practice education facilitator were interviewed during the period from April to June 2021, from two larger acute care hospitals in Norway.

resultsThematic analysis resulted in three themes related to the participants' experiences and views on how the practice education facilitator role influences the clinical learning environment: Having someone to turn to, Benefitting from being an 'insider', and Champions of practice learning.

conclusionsThe results of this study show how practice education facilitators can enhance the clinical learning environment by offering support and guidance to clinical supervisors. A contextual factor found to influence the willingness of clinical supervisors to seek and receive support and guidance from these facilitators was the positioning of the facilitators as insiders within the clinical setting. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.