Nursing students’ expectations, satisfaction, and perceptions regarding clinical learning environment: A cross-sectional, profile study from Turkey

Comparing the effect of assessment-simulation-animation-based against traditional education on nursing students' anxiety and self-efficacy in maternity clinical practicum

BACKGROUND

The clinical practicum is the practical course that causes the most anxiety in nursing undergraduates. Although high-fidelity simulation education has been demonstrated to boost nursing students' self-efficacy and decrease anxiety in patient care, it is also associated with excessive psychological stress. Assessment-simulation-animation-based (ASA-based) education has been developed to solve the drawbacks of simulation-based education while preserving positive learning outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effects of ASA-based education and traditional education in reducing anxiety and improving self-efficacy of junior nursing students in their maternity clinical practicum.

DESIGN

This study used a two-group pre-post quasi-experimental design. The comparison group was studied first followed by the experimental group.

SETTINGS

Department of Nursing and affiliated medical center at a medical university in southern Taiwan.

PARTICIPANTS

We enrolled 114 junior nursing students from two different class years.

METHODS

A convenience sample of junior nursing students was used in this study, with 55 in the experimental group and 59 in the comparison group. The intervention included online ASA-based education videos with pamphlets and was conducted three days a week for five weeks encompassing the maternity nursing clinical practicum. We developed and applied the Clinical Situation Anxiety Scale (CS-AS) and Clinical Situation Self-Efficacy Scale (CS-SES) before and after the intervention. Qualitative feedback was assessed after the intervention. Data were collected from both the comparison and experimental groups during the fall and spring terms of both the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years.

RESULTS

Compared with the comparison group, the total CS-AS and CS-SES scores significantly improved from before to after the intervention in the experimental group. The students responded to the intervention by demonstrating clinical consistency, knowing what to do and how to do it and more confidently practicing health education.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that ASA-based education with videos and pamphlets contributed to reducing anxiety and increasing self-efficacy in nursing students during their maternity clinical practicum.

Development and validation of satisfaction with clinical practice questionnaire for mentors and students

OBJECTIVES

To develop and validate a questionnaire on satisfaction with clinical practice for mentors (QSCP-M) and a questionnaire on satisfaction with clinical practice for students (QSCP-S).

METHODS

Two versions of the questionnaires were constructed: a version for mentors and a version for students. Both surveys were conducted at two time points. The first survey was completed by 252 students and 86 mentors, and the second by 291 students and 94 mentors.

RESULTS

Several exploratory factor analyses were performed on the results obtained, and two factors were identified for the QSCP-M and one factor for the QSCP-S. The coefficients of internal reliability for both questionnaires indicated stable and reliable measuring instruments.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical practice satisfaction questionnaires for mentors and students showed good metric characteristics. The validation shows that both questionnaires are appropriate for examining general and specific satisfaction with clinical practice.

Structural equation modeling of factors associated with nursing students' professionalism during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study aimed to determine the factors associated with nursing professionalism among Korean nursing students. This cross-sectional study was carried out using a convenient sample comprising 247 students enrolled in a four-year Bachelor of Science Nursing program from September 6-27, 2021. A self-reported structured questionnaire was employed to explore the relationships among ego-resilience, self-leadership, clinical learning environment, academic satisfaction, clinical competency, and nursing professionalism by utilizing structural equation modeling. The modified model exhibited good fit indices. Learning-related factors, including clinical learning environments, academic satisfaction, and clinical competency, directly affected nursing professionalism. Self-leadership and the clinical learning environment were indirectly associated with nursing professionalism via both academic satisfaction and clinical competency. Regarding ego-resilience, it only indirectly affected nursing professionalism via academic satisfaction. Creating a student-centered learning environment may be vital to improve students' major and clinical performance, thereby boosting nursing professionalism. Furthermore, nurse educators should consider individual psychological aspects of students when designing the nursing curriculum to foster nursing professionalism. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine if our model is available to explain the development of professionalism among nursing students.

Factors Influencing Nursing Student Learning During Clinical Placements: A Modified Delphi Study

BACKGROUND

Factors identified as important to nursing student clinical learning include the environment, the clinical facilitator, and student human factors.

METHOD

A modified Delphi study generated clinical nurse educators' expert consensus of the importance of factors that influence student learning during clinical placements. Short-answer questions exploring facilitation of learning were also provided.

RESULTS

Thirty-four nurse educators participated in the first round, and 17 nurse educators participated in the second round. Final consensus of at least 80% agreement was reached for all factors. Enablers of student learning included a positive workplace culture, student attitude, and clear communication between facilitator and student. Barriers to student learning included lack of time for teaching, short placement duration, and poor student and facilitator attitude.

CONCLUSION

Further investigation is needed on how these factors are addressed during placements including a review of the quality of resources provided to students and clinical facilitators for student learning. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(6):333-341.].

Psychometric properties of Clinical Learning Environment Inventory and its association with Moroccan nursing students' satisfaction: A PLS-SEM approach

Background

The Clinical Learning Environment (CLE) is integral to pre-registration nursing curricula. Assessing the student's perceptions of their CLE is essential to adjust clinical placement to trainees' needs. Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI) appears to be widely used in measuring CLE, but no previous study has reported a full structural validity and its association with students' satisfaction in the Moroccan context.

Objectives

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the CLEI and its subscales association with Moroccan nursing students' satisfaction.

Methods

The research design was descriptive, cross-sectional, and conducted from March and June 2022 using convenience sampling in three nursing institutes of the Fez-Meknes region of Morocco. The selected sample involved Moroccan nursing students undertaking clinical practice. First, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to determine the factor structure of the pilot sample (N = 143). The second sample (N = 206) was then used to confirm this structure using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) confirmatory composite analysis (CCA). Finally, using a bootstrapping method, the significance of the structural path was evaluated.

Results

The CLEI scale depicted convergent validity (AVE = 0.56 - 0.71), discriminant validity, estimated by the square roots of AVE and bootstrapped HTMT confidence interval, and significant reliability (rhoC = 0.83 - 0.92). Using a bootstrapping approach, structural path significance displayed a substantial association between task orientation and students' satisfaction (β = 0.29, p <0.001). This ascertains that nurse students need well-planned guidelines from their facilitators in clinical wards.

Conclusions

The CLEI instrument revealed adequate psychometric properties and supported its original structure. As a result, the instrument might be used to measure students' perceptions of their CLE. Task orientation appeared to be the most important factor influencing the students' satisfaction in CLE.

A phenomenographic study exploring the conceptions of stakeholders on their teaching and learning roles in nursing education

BACKGROUND

Nursing education involves a number of stakeholders in the teaching and learning process, and these are student nurses, lecturers, clinical instructors and nurses. The role that each of these parties play in the teaching and learning process is dependent on each other and is key to the development of competence among student nurses. However, there is scanty literature on the discourse of how these stakeholders conceptualise their roles to maximise student learning. The objective of this study was to explore the conceptions of stakeholders on their teaching and learning roles in nursing education.

METHODS

Thirty-eight semi-structured interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted with nursing students, lecturers, clinical educators at a Namibian nursing college and nurses at teaching hospitals. Phenomenographic data analysis approach was applied.

RESULTS

Four conceptions were constructed that described the level of involvement of the different parties in teaching and learning. These were initiating, supporting, becoming part of and owning the teaching and learning role. Three dimensions of variation marked the differences among the conceptions: responsibility and accountability, priorities and level of collaboration.

CONCLUSIONS

The parties involved in the teaching and learning in nursing education have qualitatively different understating of their roles and those of others. There is a pattern transcending from being at the periphery of teaching and learning to taking ownership of teaching and learning. And a movement from limited responsibility and collaboration to that of being responsible, accountable and high level of collaboration in the teaching and learning of nursing students. The conceptions in this study add more ways of enhancing collaboration between theoretical and clinical sites in nursing education, by ensuring that those involved are aware of their role and that of others and work collaboratively at the micro-level.