Exploring undergraduate nursing students' preparation to care for children and their families in Australia: a scoping review.

Abstract

Objective: This scoping review aimed to identify and map the breadth of evidence available that describes the preparation of preregistration nursing students to provide care to infants, children, young people, and their families in an Australian context.

Introduction: Nursing graduates in Australia are expected to deliver safe and competent care to children and families across diverse health care settings. However, pediatric nursing education is commonly embedded within integrated lifespan curricula, with limited access to dedicated pediatric units or clinical placements. This lack of structured pediatric preparation has been associated with student anxiety, reduced confidence, challenges in age-appropriate communication, and reluctance to pursue pediatric nursing pathways following graduation, raising concerns about patient safety and workforce sustainability.

Eligibility criteria: This scoping review included published and unpublished literature relevant to undergraduate preregistration nursing students in Australia. Evidence sources published from 2010 onward were eligible and included empirical studies, non-empirical literature, policy documents, professional standards, and gray literature related to the preparation of nursing students to care for children and their families across all health care settings.

Methods: This review followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. A 3-step search strategy was used between December 2023 and February 2024 to identify relevant literature across the CINAHL (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE (Ovid), Scopus, and ERIC (ProQuest) electronic databases, advanced Google searches, and the websites of Australian professional organizations, government bodies, pediatric hospitals, and universities. Two reviewers independently screened citations, extracted data, and synthesized findings. Results were organized according to regulatory requirements and recommendations, educational preparation approaches, and student experiences.

Results: In total, 10 peer-reviewed publications and 22 gray literature sources met the eligibility criteria. According to these sources, efforts to prepare nursing students to care for children commonly involved integrated curriculum approaches, simulation-based learning, and supported work-integrated learning experiences. High-fidelity simulation and alternative placement models to improve knowledge, confidence, communication skills, and clinical reasoning were identified. Immersive experiential learning to create interest in pediatric nursing pathways-particularly among students with limited prior exposure to children, including male students-was investigated. Publicly available information from universities and pediatric hospitals demonstrated variability in preparation requirements and limited transparency regarding pre-placement preparation.

Conclusions: Despite clear professional and regulatory recommendations, the preparation of preregistration nursing students to care for children and families in Australia is inconsistent. Integrating pediatric education across undergraduate curricula, supported by simulation and alternative experiential learning opportunities, may enhance student confidence, readiness, and workforce participation in pediatric nursing.

Review registration: OSF https://osf.io/4mtf6/overview.