Nursing students' ethical challenges in the clinical settings: A mixed-methods study.

Abstract

Nursing students experience ethical conflicts and challenges during their clinical education. These may lead to moral distress and disturb the learning process. This study aimed to explore and to evaluate the nursing students' ethical challenges in the clinical settings in Iran. This was a mixed-methods study with an exploratory sequential design. A total of 37 and 120 Iranian nursing students participated in the qualitative and quantitative phases, respectively. The ethical committee of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran, approved the protocol of the study. Three main categories were extracted from qualitative data including Low attention of nurses to the patients' preferences; Lack of authority; and Inadequate support. A total of 97% of the students had more than one ethical challenge in clinical settings and 48% of them stated that their challenges did not resolve. The total score of perceived ethical challenges was 62.03 ± 9.17, which was moderate. The highest mean score related to the "Low attention of nurses to the patients' preferences" subscale. The finding confirmed most of the existing results of other international researches about the frequency and kinds of baccalaureate nursing students' ethical challenges. Identifying student ethical challenges helps teachers to manage their clinical learning process better. This study may provide a view for the nurses, clinical educators, and managers toward nursing students' ethical challenges and their impact on nursing students' clinical experiences.