Thematic Perception Shifts in Gerontological Nursing Competence Following Structured Clinical Immersion

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-797-2_21How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Nursing Education; Older Adults; Clinical Rotations; Learning Attitudes; Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment

Abstract

The demographic shift toward an aging population necessitates a competent healthcare workforce. Nursing student perceptions regarding geriatric care directly influence professional choices and the quality of care provided to older adults. This work evaluates learning attitudes and clinical confidence levels among baccalaureate nursing students before and after an initial clinical practicum. An authentic qualitative dataset comprising pre-immersion and post-immersion survey responses from an academic cohort is adopted for the thematic analysis. The methodology incorporates a structured practicum driven by experiential learning theory, requiring a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, a 4-system physical examination, and holistic care planning across hospital and community environments. Complete paired data were obtained from 69 nursing students who voluntarily provided valid responses in both the pre-clinical and post-clinical phases, establishing an independent paired sample out of the initial 117 cohort. The qualitative data were evaluated using a 6-phase thematic categorization framework, and the proportional shifts were analyzed using marginal homogeneity testing. Clinical exposure improves student confidence in physical assessment and communication skills significantly. Pre-immersion anxiety regarding patient cooperation and communication barriers decreases considerably after direct engagement with older adult patients. The qualitative shift indicates a transition from apprehension to empathy and an increased understanding of complex aging physiologies. Positive sentiments toward older adults dominate the post-clinical phase, alongside an acknowledgment of the intensive academic workload. Structured educational interventions encompassing direct community and hospital engagement translate theoretical knowledge into practical competence. The findings provide an empirical foundation for redesigning nursing curricula to foster sustained interest and confidence in older adult care.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Pimpaka Panyoyai
AU  - Atchara Assanasen
AU  - Surada Tanomrat
AU  - Ticharee Kantaviro
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/14
TI  - Thematic Perception Shifts in Gerontological Nursing Competence Following Structured Clinical Immersion
BT  - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Lifespan Innovation (ICLI 2026) national Conference on Lifespan Innovation
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 195
EP  - 204
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-797-2_21
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-797-2_21
ID  - Panyoyai2026
ER  -