Perception of Nursing and Midwifery Trainees towards Clinical Environment at Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of students’ nurses in the nurses training colleges towards clinical environment. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey approach was used. Nursing and Midwifery trainees at Cape Coast were the respondents. Simple random sampling was used to select 605 respondents for the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the data. Results: The majority of the respondents were female, Christians, singled and attended Cape Coast Nursing and Midwifery Training College (CCNMTC). The staff were helpful, friendly and considerate. There were repetition of student’s tasks in every shift but new and different ways of teaching were used. The students had positive perception of clinical learning environment. There were statistically significant differences in perception towards clinical learning environment among students based on academic class (levels). Conclusion: It was recommended that the staff nurses should assign students with varied task depending on their level.

Practices of caring for nursing students: A clinical learning environment

Objective:The purpose of this study was to explore,describe and illuminate nursing students'best encounters of caring in the clinical learning environment.Caring for nursing students was emphasized and recommendations provided to enhance caring for nursing students within their clinical learning environment.Methods:Qualitative data was collected by the researcher using semi-structured individual interviews and an Appreciative Inquiry(AI)methodology.Ten second year nursing students undertaking the bridging course leading to registration as general nurses in terms of Regulation 683 of the South African Nursing Council(SANC)were purposively sampled from 3 private hospitals within the Western Cape.Data was analysed using Giorgi's method.Results:The main theme included the best and'least best'caring practices embedded in the centrality of the heart.The subthemes comprised of the nursing students'experiences of caring literacy and caring illiteracy.The second theme included the creation of best caring practices within a conducive clinical learning environment.Within this theme,the subthemes comprised of the caring attributes required in reflecting best caring practices,as well the creation of a clinical learning environment to optimise caring.Conclusions:The significance and necessity of caring for the nursing student were clearly illustrated and confirmed by participants.Caring was equated to the heart as the core to the nursing students'being.Recommendations for nursing education,management,practice and research were therefore specifically formulated to enhance caring towards nursing students.

Nursing Students’Clinical Learning Environment in Norwegian Nursing Homes:Lack of Innovative Teaching and Learning Strategies

Background: Nursing students hesitate to choose aged care as a career, and the aged care sectors are on an edge regarding nursing positions. Clinical learning environments may influence nursing students’ career choices. Few studies have explored learning environments in nursing homes, although students increasingly have placements there. Objectives: The aim was to produce information for developing nursing students’ learning opportunities in nursing homes. Design: A cross-sectional survey design was used. Settings: The study was conducted at a university college in southeast Norway. Participants: Students in two cohorts of a bachelor degree program in nursing participated, N = 499. Methods: Data were collected on nursing students’ perceptions of clinical learning environments during placements in five nursing homes. A 42-item validated questionnaire with the subscales personalization, individualization, involvement, task orientation, innovation, and satisfaction was used. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, t-tests, and linear regression analysis. Results: Total scores showed overall satisfaction with clinical learning environments in nursing homes. However, innovation subscale scores were very low. First year students had significantly higher scores than third year students on the total scale, and most subscales. Age was significantly associated with total scale scores and subscale satisfaction scores. Higher education and work experience before entering nursing education were significantly associated with involvement subscale scores. Conclusions: Students are more positive than negative about their clinical learning environments. Low valuation of innovation seems to be a consistent finding in studies in both nursing homes and hospitals internationally. For innovative learning strategies to function they must be anchored at the organizational level. Future research should develop and test more innovative learning strategies for nursing students.

Using preceptors to improve nursing students' clinical learning outcomes: A Malawian students' perspective

Objective: Clinical environment remains an important aspect in the development of student's compe-tence, confidence and fulfillment of their expected learning outcomes. Preceptors and clinical teachers play a significant role in preparing students to achieve their professional goals through continuous support and resource provision. This study explored the students' perception of using clinical preceptors to improve their clinical learning outcomes.Methods: The researchers used semi structured interviews to collect qualitative data. A total of 48 stu-dents were purposively and conveniently sampled from 8 hospitals to participate in the study. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: Two themes emerged from the study findings namely: creating a positive clinical learning environment and facilitating academic clinical collaboration. Conclusions: The findings of the study revealed that students gained more confidence and competence in clinical practice when supported by preceptors as well as achieved clinical learning outcomes. These findings suggest the need to train more clinical preceptors for improvement of students' clinical learning outcomes.

Clinical education and student satisfaction: An integrative literature review

The clinical component of undergraduate clinical education is a critical area in nursing programs. Faculty shortages have made recruitment of clinical faculty and clinical teaching more challenging. As such, alternate models of clinical faculty assignments are being explored to address faculty shortages. This article contains an extensive literature review conducted to survey models of clinical education and student satisfaction with the clinical environment. The purpose of this paper is to examine student satisfaction in the clinical learning environment using articles employing the Clinical Learning Envi-ronment Inventory (CLEI) along with examining the use of alternate clinical staffing models in differing levels of undergraduate nursing students. A literature search focusing on studies published between 2002 and 2015 was conducted from 5 electronic databases. Thirty-five articles were reviewed and 22 were selected for this literature review. The studies reviewed concluded that students favored a more positive and favorable clinical environment than they perceived as being actually present. A supportive clinical learning environment is of paramount importance in securing positive teaching learning out-comes. Nurse educators can apply the results of this review in order to develop and maintain quality clinical teaching and to promote a positive, student-centric, clinical learning environment.

The effectiveness of shared clinical teaching in nursing

Aim: Clinical learning is a critical component of a nursing curriculum.Student satisfaction in clinical environment is crucial to foster a positive learning experience.Faculty shortages have made clinical teaching more challenging;as such,alternate models of clinical teaching must be explored by nursing programs.The purpose of this study was to measure the perception of student satisfaction in regard tothe effectiveness of shared clinical teaching in nursing.Methods: Utilizing Chan's Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI),this quantitative comparative study examined nursing students' preferred and actual clinical learning environment.The CLEI contains 42 questions in six subscales: Individualization,Innovation,Involvement,Personalization,Task Orientation,and Satisfaction in both the actual and preferred clinical learning environment.The sample consisted of 202 nursing students in two groups: the first group had 91 students who experienced shared clinical teaching with two faculty,whereas the second group had 111 students who experienced the traditional,single faculty model.The results were analyzed using independent sample T-tests.Results: The preferred learning environment was rated highest in all six subscales.Scores of the Satisfaction subscale and the Innovation subscale for Actual Learning Environment,and the score of the Innovation subscale for Preferred Learning Environment of students experiencing shared clinical teaching with two faculty were higher than the scores of students experiencing traditional,single faculty model,with statistically significance (P< 0.05).Conclusion: The results indicated students preferred the shared clinical teaching model with two faculty over the single faculty model.Nursing programs can utilize this model and apply these results to develop and maintain quality clinical teaching.