Exploring the challenges of clinical education in nursing and strategies to improve it: A qualitative study

نویسندگان

1 Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery

2 Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Centre, Adult Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3

doi
چکیده

BACKGROUND: Clinical education is the heart of professional education in nursing. The perspectiveof nursing students and clinical nursing educators as the main owners of teaching–learning processare of determinants affecting clinical education process. This study was conducted to explore and todescribe the clinical education problems and strategies to improve it from the perspective of nursingstudents and clinical nursing educators.MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative method in2017. Participants included 35 baccalaureate nursing students and 5 clinical nursing educators fromnursing faculty of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Participants were selectedusing purposeful sampling method. Data were collected through semi‑structured individual interviewsand used qualitative content analysis for analysis.RESULTS: The 2 main categories, 7 subcategories, and 19 sub‑sub categories extracted frominterviews. The two categories were “challenges of clinical education in nursing with four subcategories:fear, insufficient readiness of student, incompetency of clinical educators, unpleasant atmosphereof clinical environment,” and “strategies for improving clinical education of nursing with threesubcategories: the use of nursing education models and methods, improvement of communicationbetween faculty and practice, and holding orientation stage at the beginning of training.”CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that clinical strategies, including employing experienced clinicaleducators, attempting to enhance the learning environment, developing the relationship betweenfaculty and practice, participation of clinical nurses in clinical education, paying attention to enteringbehavior, and holding orientation stage at the beginning of training, can improve clinical educationof nursing.