The experience of rural undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing students engaging with a nurse tutor: A descriptive study

Objective: The objective of this study was to understand the experience of rural undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing students engaging with a nurse tutor, enabled through a Regional University Study Hub. Participants: Ten rural undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing students who engaged with a community-based academic nurse tutor programme. Design: A descriptive design and data collection through an online questionnaire and telephone interviews using semi-structured questions. Results: Engaging a support structure that is external to the university for rural, undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing students provided a safe environment for the students to explore technical academic concepts and gain clarity with topics and assessment tasks. The participants felt reticent to share their uncertainties with lecturers. This was particularly significant for mature-aged and first-in-family students. Conclusion: The collaborative partnership between a university, community, Regional University Study Hub, and industry is a model for future initiatives aimed at ensuring the success of rural students in completing tertiary education and building the rural health workforce.