Perception regarding clinical learning environment among undergraduate nursing students

Abstract

Clinical experience is an integral aspect of nursing education as it transforms the theoretical knowledge into practice and the cornerstone of nursing as a health profession. The experience gained through a good and supportive clinical environment includes the atmosphere of the clinical placement unit, and the relationships shared with clinical staff supervisors (staff nurses) and mentors (Clinical instructors) that will affect the students learning. Elements like good teaching, relationship with the clinical staff and opportunity to practice, need to be assessed to have an understanding of the student’s perception regarding clinical learning environment. The aim of the present study was to assess the clinical learning environment among undergraduate nursing students of various colleges of Punjab. Materials and methods: A non experimental, descriptive research design was used to assess the perception regarding clinical learning environment among undergraduate nursing students. SECEE inventory (student evaluation of clinical education environment) by Kari Jecklin - Sand was used to determine the clinical learning environment. Five Nursing institutions were selected conveniently to select 500 under graduate nursing students randomly. Results and Major Findings: The findings of the study revealed that Majority (68%) of the study subjects were satisfied with their clinical learning environment followed by 30.8% who were moderately satisfied and only 1.2% were unsatisfied with their clinical learning environment. As per the Personal Profile of the study subjects, age and gender were found highly significant with the perceived clinical environment score at the 0.01 level of significance whereas no significant association was found out with the habitat, marital status, type of family, place of stay during study and financing during study. As per the family background, mother’s occupation was found highly associated with the clinical learning environment score whereas no association was found with the annual income of parents, education of mother, education of father, father’s occupation and number of siblings.