Abstract
Background: The nursing profession is composed of two main parts; the theoretical part which reflects the knowledge that is received in the class room and the practical part which focuses on improving the students’ skills in the clinical area. The literature shows that there is a gap between these two parts. Aims: The aim of this study was to identify suggestions and interventions to explore the students’ perceptions about theory-practice gap in nursing education. Method: An explorative qualitative design was adopted. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews with thirty (second, third and fourth year) nursing students who had taken at least two clinical courses were done. Findings: The students have raised several ideas and suggestions to close the theory-practice gap in nursing education. Their statements and accounts were collected together and built five major themes: Open channels between theory and practice teachers, students need to be supported more, increasing the competency of clinical instructors, using different methods of education, and preparing and improving the clinical laboratories. Conclusion: The qualitative design used in this study provided deep and rich novel data about the theory-practice gaps in nursing education in Jordan. This subject is examined for the first time in Jordan. Therefore, the information from this study could be useful for undergraduate students, nursing schools, nursing teachers and the stakeholders in Jordan. Keywords: Theory-practice gap, nursing, education, Jordan.
Highlights
The qualitative design used in this study provided deep and rich novel data about the theory-practice gaps in nursing education in Jordan
The nursing profession is composed of two main parts; the theoretical part, which reflects the knowledge that is received in the classroom; and the practical part, which focuses on improving skills in the clinical area
What was your perception when you went to the clinical area for the first time? What kind of support did you receive in clinical training? And do you have any suggestions to decrease the theorypractice gap in nursing education? The questions were inspired by previous studies and the experiences of the authors
Summary
The nursing profession is composed of two main parts; the theoretical part, which reflects the knowledge that is received in the classroom; and the practical part, which focuses on improving skills in the clinical area. The subjectivity in defining nursing terms and theories and giving different meanings to these terms formed challenges for nursing students (Upton, 1999) Students found it difficult to link what they learned in the classroom with the facts they faced in the complex clinical environment. The nursing profession is composed of two main parts: the theoretical part, which reflects the knowledge that is received in the classroom; and the practical part, which focuses on improving students’ skills in the clinical area. The information from this study could be useful for undergraduate students, nursing schools, nursing teachers and other healthcare stakeholders in Jordan
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