Satisfaction of Undergraduate Nursing Students Regarding their Clinical Placement: A Focus Group Study

Abstract

A crucial component of nursing students' education for providing high-quality and secure patient care is their clinical experience. Regarding this, it is crucial that student nurses are satisfied with their practical experiences. Student nurses' experiences in clinical placements can offer valuable insights for the development of successful nursing education programmed. Objective: To determine how satisfied undergraduate nursing students are with their clinical rotation. Methods: The study design used for the project was qualitative descriptive exploratory research. The sample size of the study was 30 BSN students of final year that were selected through purposive sampling technique, divided into 6 groups, where each group contain 5 students and attended semi-structure focus group interview using interview guide. The study setting was 2 nursing institutes of Peshawar i.e., post-graduate college of nursing, and institute of nursing sciences. Data were analyzed through content analysis, and the study was approved from ethical review board of institute of nursing sciences Khyber medical university Peshawar. Results: The data analysis identified four primary categories: theory to practical environment in the placement, poor clinical supervision, lack of orientation for clinical placement and inappropriate mentor-ship in clinical placement. Conclusions: To facilitate students’ clinical practice during their clinical hours, they must acquire pertinent knowledge, skills, and competency. The combination of theoretical and practical work is known as nursing practice, and theory without practice is seen as blind knowledge. In clinical settings, one cannot provide quality care if there is not a quiet and sound environment.