Student Nurse Anesthetists' and Supervisors' Perspectives of Learning in the Operating Room: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this review was to identify supporting and hindering factors for student nurse anesthetists' (SNAs') learning in the operating room during clinical practice, from students' and supervisors' perspectives.

Design: An integrative review.

Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in Medline, Cinahl, PsycInfo, and ERIC. Search terms were related to nurse anesthetist, education, operating room context, and clinical setting. Searches were performed at three points in time and in total 1,530 unique articles were identified. After screening using Covidence and using Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tools, 34 articles remained. These were analyzed inductively using a constant comparison method.

Findings: Supporting factors include preparation before clinical practice, clearly stated expectations, a respectful relationship with the supervisor, daily planning and communication, and constructive feedback. Hindering factors include lack of time, disruptive behavior from supervisors or other team members, and environmental factors such as a high room temperature and noisy environment.

Conclusions: SNAs' learning situation in the operating room resembles undergraduate nurses' learning during clinical practice. Educators and supervisors can take several actions to promote SNAs' learning. Further research is warranted on the effect of teamwork on SNAs' learning.

Keywords: clinical practice; nurse anesthesia learning; student nurse anesthetist; teamwork.