Exploring Undergraduate Nursing Students' Perceptions on Clinical Learning Environment in the UAE: A Focus on Perceived Benefits and Challenges

Introduction

Establishing a supportive clinical environment is paramount for enhancing nursing students' engagement in clinical practice, their clinical proficiencies, and satisfaction. The increase in nursing student enrollment at the Nursing College, driven by the collaborative efforts between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and universities, has given rise to concerns regarding the quality of education and clinical instruction. These concerns are primarily due to the increased student-to-instructor ratio. Furthermore, the unsupportive clinical settings and learning tensions underscore the need to understand students' learning experiences and address research gaps within the field of clinical learning in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to investigate the undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of their clinical learning environment, with a focus on perceived benefits and challenges.

Methods

This study used a cross-sectional survey design. The researchers administered a five-point Likert scale questionnaire, which had been adapted and contextualized, to a convenience sample of 217 third and fourth-year nursing students who willingly participated in this study.

Results

Despite the presence of positive aspects, such as diverse clinical experiences and strong support from both clinical instructors and peers, several challenges affect the students' clinical learning. These challenges encompass disparate perceptions of supervision among staff nurses, learning tensions related to student academic workload, insufficient clinical supervision, and difficulties in finding assistance when needed.

Conclusion

There is a clear need to enhance the overall ward learning environment to optimize students' academic motivation and clinical skills. Several measures can be taken to achieve this goal, including incentivizing and reducing the workload of staff nurses, investing in the professional development of clinical instructors, promoting peer interactions and group learning, and adopting a block pattern of education in years three and four for better clinical knowledge assimilation and reduced theoretical workload.

Beyond the Bedside: Reflections on Nursing Through the Eyes of a Student

The changing landscape of nursing and increasing number of nurses leaving the profession calls for a reexamination of career pathways. Professional mentors and faculty play a pivotal role in advising nursing students and new nurses. By sharing lessons learned from an undergraduate nursing student after interviewing 21 nurses working in nontraditional roles, the article highlights the importance of embracing the diverse professional goals and strengths of each nurse as a retention strategy.

Teaching and Learning of Clinical Competence in Ghana: Experiences of Students and Post-Registration Nurses

Despite the growing demand for competent nurses to fill the shortage gap, nursing education institutions have not always been able to equip students with the requisite clinical competence needed in the practice setting. Several studies have described the experiences of undergraduate nursing students in the clinical learning environment. No study was found on the experiences of diploma nursing students and post-registration nurses regarding the teaching and learning of clinical competence in Ghana. This study, therefore, sought to describe the experiences and perceptions of diploma nursing students and post-registration nurses regarding the teaching and learning of clinical competence in Ghana. A qualitative descriptive research design was employed in this study. Fifty-five (55) participants, comprising 40 students and 15 post-registration diploma nurses, from six research sites were recruited into focus group discussions (FGDs) using a maximum variation purposive sampling technique. A thematic framework method was used to analyze the data with the aid of ATLAS.ti software. Three themes emerged from the focus group discussions: nursing education institutional factors; clinical placement design, implementation, and system challenges; challenges of clinical teaching and learning. We conclude that the current approach to clinical nursing education, such as the overreliance on clinical placement and the use of more teacher-centered teaching approaches, are ineffective in facilitating the development of clinical competence. A review of the nursing curriculum, inculcating evidence-based simulation modalities, and an adequate investment in nursing education may be required to ensure effective nursing education in the study setting.

More than a cultural experience: Assessing the impact of a medical-surgical international clinical on nursing students' academic performance

A review of the extant literature suggests that there remains a dearth of evidence regarding the evaluation of well-defined outcomes related to international nursing clinical experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between students' clinical experience (traditional versus international) and a number of academic outcomes including final medical-surgical course grades, performance on relevant Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) proctored exams, and National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) pass rates. A non-experimental design was implemented using retrospective data obtained from a small university in the Midwest. Students complete a medical-surgical clinical in India during the interim of their third semester in the nursing program. Results of the t-tests show a statistically significant difference in final grades for Adult Health II theory when comparing students who completed a traditional clinical (M = 83.1, SD = 3.8) with those who completed an international clinical (M = 81.6, SD = 5.2); t(100) = 2.0, p = .043. The difference in mean scores for traditional clinical students (M = 70.3, SD = 6.6) versus international clinical students (M = 66.2, SD = 7.2) for the Adult Medical-Surgical proctored exam reached statistical significance, t(119) = 4.5, p ≤ .001. In contrast, there was no significant difference in means scores between the two groups with regard to scores on the Comprehensive Predictor proctored exam (traditional clinical, M = 76.1, SD = 5.9; international clinical, M = 75.2, SD = 6.4); t(121) = 1.0, p = .316. Finally, a chi square test of independence found that the relationship between clinical status and performance on NCLEX was not statistically significant, χ² (1, N = 197) = 0.132, p = .716. Further research is needed to examine the impact of international clinicals on a broader range of outcomes including academic, cultural competency, and clinical performance measures.

Challenges to the provision of clinical education in nursing

Objective: To outline and discuss the challenges inherent in providing clinical education for undergraduate nursing students.Design: Discussion paper.Discussion: The primary goal of undergraduate nursing education is the preparation of graduates able to function as newly registered nurses in acute hospital, primary care, continuing care and mental health settings. Clinical practice is a critical yet complex and challenging component of students' professional development.Conclusions: It is argued that different models for clinical learning are appropriate for different contexts and stages of student development. Nursing needs, however, to be fully cognisant of the importance of collaborative development underpinned by adequate funding and to be aware of the often invisible impacts of neoliberal policies and priorities on health and education.

Comparison of Nursing Student and Instructor Preferences for Block and Nonblock Clinical Models

Clinical experiences are the hallmark of prelicensure nursing programs and assist students with applying nursing theory into practice. The literature is limited with respect to nursing student and instructor preferences for type of clinical model to facilitate student learning. This article explores these perceptions in the nursing programs of 5 universities located in 4 Western Canadian provinces. Findings support the use of both nonblock and block clinical models throughout nursing education programs.