Supporting student nurses on placement in nursing homes: The challenges for the link-tutor role

Practice-based learning has always been a key feature of nursing education, and the quality of student learning is heavily influenced by the quality of the clinical experience. In addition, with an ageing population, nurses will need to better develop the particular clinical skills related to meeting the needs of older people in diverse settings. Increasingly, health care faculties in universities are turning to nursing homes to provide clinical placements for student nurses. This paper examines the literature related to the benefits and challenges of using nursing homes as placement areas for student nurses, with particular reference to the challenges that nursing home placements present for link tutors. The paper concludes with a proposal for a model for the link-tutor role in nursing homes.