Abstract
BackgroundIn clinical environments, nursing students experience a range of stressors that can affect their health, learning, and quality of patient care. This study aimed to develop a Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Clinical Stressors Scale (NSPCSS) and to evaluate its psychometric properties.MethodsThis exploratory, sequential mixed-method study was conducted in 2 phases. In the qualitative (item generation) phase, NSPCSS items were generated using the data collected from semi-structured interviews and a literature review. In the quantitative (psychometric evaluation) phase, face, content, construct, convergent, and discriminant validity and reliability of the scale were tested. To evaluate construct validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on the data collected from 430 nursing students. Reliability was also assessed through internal consistency and composite reliability.ResultsIn this study, 6 factors were extracted from 30 itemes through exploratory factor analysis: (1) instructor’s limited competence in clinical environments, (2) inappropriate clinical environment, (3) inadequate knowledge and skills, (4) inefficient education in clinical planning, (5) instructor’s inappropriate conduct, and (6) concerns about the characteristics of nursing career. These factors accounted for 58.8% of the total variance. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis suggested the goodness-of-fit indices was acceptable. Furthermore, the internal consistency and composite reliability indices of all factors were greater than 0.7.ConclusionsThe NSPCSS is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing clinical stressors among nursing students.
Highlights
In clinical environments, nursing students experience a range of stressors that can affect their health, learning, and quality of patient care
Clinical education, which is a central part of most tertiary level training in nursing programs [1], can have significant effects on student outcomes related to professional learning and competency
Different instruments are used to assess the level of stress experienced by nursing students, and the most common of which is the Perceived Stress Scale [21]. It contains 29 items that are grouped into 6 areas: stress related to patient care, instructors and staff, assignments and workload, peers and daily life, lack of professional knowledge and skills, and environmental factors [21]
Summary
In clinical environments, nursing students experience a range of stressors that can affect their health, learning, and quality of patient care. This study aimed to develop a Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Clinical Stressors Scale (NSPCSS) and to evaluate its psychometric properties. The aim of clinical education is to enhance students’ professional knowledge and skills and to provide them with the opportunity to translate their knowledge into practice [2]. Positive experiences in the clinical setting can enhance nursing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, promote professional attachment and self-confidence, and help them develop professional identity and professionalism [4]. Negative clinical experiences can affect nursing students’ self-confidence, satisfaction with nursing, preparedness for practice, and retention [5]. Clinical education is an essential component of nursing education, students often perceive it as extremely stressful [6]
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