Lessons Learned from Nursing Students' Experiences in Family and Community Tobacco Control

Abstract

Objective : To explore lessons learned from nursing students' experiences in family and community-level tobacco control during clinical practicum.

Methods : This qualitative descriptive research employed purposive sampling to recruit 32 fourth-year nursing students from Srimahasarakham Nursing College who had experience in tobacco control during their community nursing practicum. Data were collected through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and daily learning logs, and were analyzed using content analysis.

Results : Five key themes of lessons learned emerged from the nursing students' experiences in family and community tobacco control: 1) Learning from real-world situations regarding community participation processes enhanced students' understanding of factors influencing tobacco consumption in communities; 2) Learning from applying the 5A model in tobacco control enabled students to recognize its importance and practical benefits, as well as its alignment with the nursing process; 3) Learning through developing health communication strategies enabled students to collaboratively design diverse health promotion activities with community members; 4) Learning from developing innovative learning media fostered students' skills in information retrieval, analytical thinking, and creative problem-solving; and 5) Learning from obstacles and challenges — including time constraints, insufficient understanding of the 5A model, lack of confidence in counseling, and limited cooperation from some families.

Conclusion : The five lessons learned can serve as a framework for enhancing teaching and learning in community nursing courses, with the aim of developing nursing students' competencies in assessing, diagnosing, planning, implementing, and evaluating tobacco control interventions at the family and community levels in alignment with real-world local contexts.