Development Of Clinical Competence Research Articles

Barriers to increasing paid parental leave in U.S. neurology residencies: a survey of program directors

BackgroundThe American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) require that residency programs allow at least 6 weeks of parental leave. The American Medical Association (AMA) recommends 12 weeks of paid parental leave. Despite these recommendations, there is little information about parental leave policies across U.S. neurology residencies. The objective of our study was to assess parental leave policies in U.S. adult neurology residencies and barriers to increasing the duration of leave.MethodsWe distributed an anonymous online survey to U.S. adult neurology program directors (PDs) to assess demographics, components and length of parental leave, perceived impact on residents’ clinical training and academic development, and barriers to increasing the length of leave.ResultsWe contacted 163 PDs and received 54 responses (response rate of 33%). 87% reported policies for both childbearing and non-childbearing residents. The average maximal length of leave allowed without extension of training was 8.5 weeks (range 0–13) for childbearing and 6.2 weeks (range 0–13) for non-childbearing residents. Most PDs felt that parental leave had a positive impact on resident wellness and neutral impact on clinical competency, academic opportunities, and career development. The most common barriers to providing a 12-week paid policy were concerns about equity in the program (82%), staffing of clinical services (80%), and impact on clinical training (78%).ConclusionsAlthough most programs in our study have parental leave policies, there is significant variability. Policies to improve parental leave should focus on addressing common barriers, such as additional solutions to staffing clinical services.

An evaluation of knowledge and perception of pharmacology in undergraduate oral hygiene students and recent graduates at a single higher institution in Pretoria.

Pharmacology is an increasingly important area of study for oral hygienists,as it provides the scientific basis for safe and effective oral healthcare. However, a lack of fundamental understanding of the discipline among clinical graduates can present significant challenges. Oral hygienists require pharmacological training to meet the requirements of their scope of practice. Pharmacology knowledge assists with the diagnosis and treatment of oral conditionsand forms the foundation for further clinical competency development. The knowledge and perceptions of pharmacology for pharmacy, nursing and medical students have been well documented; however, little information is present for Bachelor of Oral Hygiene (BOH) students. This paper sets out to evaluate BOH students' and recent graduates' knowledge and perceptions of pharmacology at a single higher institution in Pretoria to identify possible gaps and weaknesses. A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data using an online questionnaire. The English-language questionnaire consisted of the self-reported perceptions and knowledge and actual knowledge of pharmacology of undergraduate BOH students and recent graduates. The questionnaire consisted of multiple choice questions, true or false questions and Likert scale questions. Ethics was obtained from the institution's Research Ethics Committee (REC 350/2021). Overall, the participants perceived the pharmacology module positively and understood its importance. Concerns were raised about insufficient time for studying and that assessments were more aligned to gaining factual knowledge than the development of problem-solving skills. Students rated their knowledge between 57.24% and 69.44%, with BOH III students and graduates having a statistically significant greater self-rated knowledge of antivirals, antifungals and common agents used to treat oral conditions in comparison with BOH I and BOH II students. Overall, BOH students and graduates' actual knowledge was between 45.24% and 66.84%. Although not statistically significant, the total self-rated knowledge of BOH III students and recent graduates tended to be higher than their actual knowledge. Knowledge deficits were evident with some pharmacological concepts across the various BOH groups, such as pharmacokinetics, pain, drugs altering dental treatment I: central nervous system drugs, drugs altering dental treatment II: respiratory and endocrine drugs, drugs altering dental treatment III: cardiovascular drugs, drug-drug interactions and common agents used to treat oral conditions. Self-rated knowledge deficiencies were noted by students and recent graduates for certain pharmacological concepts and were supported by the measurement of their actual knowledge. Further investigation into knowledge deficiencies is needed to guide curriculum review to further strengthen oral hygienists' pharmacological competencies and ensure alignment to their scope of practice.

Development of collaboration guidelines for nursing education and related healthcare services.

A theory-practice gap in nursing education often occurs, and the staff from the nursing education institution and the associated healthcare services should find ways to improve their collaboration to reduce the gap during the training of nursing students. This study aimed to develop context-specific collaboration guidelines for a nursing education institution and associated healthcare services. Private hospital in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Guidelines were developed from the findings of an integrative literature review. Thereafter, it was contextualised in a qualitative study with focus group discussions (FGDs) involving 9 theoretical lecturers and 10 clinical facilitators. In the partnership between the nursing education institution and the associated healthcare services, bilateral communication, cooperation between the theoretical lecturers and the clinical facilitators in delivering evidence-based patient care, intensified innovation in teaching and learning practices and an environment conducive to theory-practice integration should be emphasised. A set of context-specific guidelines was developed to enable the theoretical lecturers and the clinical facilitators to collaborate in supporting nursing students to apply their theoretical knowledge in the development of clinical competencies. The guidelines can be adjusted to suit the context of other nursing education institutions and their associated healthcare services to improve collaboration between theoretical lecturers and clinical facilitators to the benefit students' skills development in theory-practice integration.

Use of self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR) exercises for competency-based training and assessment in CBT

Abstract With the increased demand for psychological services, and particularly for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), it is vital that teaching programs offer effective training that produce skilled and competent clinicians. This paper reviews the limitations of traditional approaches to training within the field of psychology, in terms of the promotion of a breadth of declarative knowledge at the expense of a deep and nuanced understanding of cognitive behavioural theory and clinical competence. It also reviews issues with existing strategies for competency-based assessment of trainees learning CBT. To date, many of these appear to assess a range of competencies concurrently and to test trainees within complex environments. Such methods may fail to provide an opportunity for the assessment of specific areas of competence and/or confound the assessment itself. It may also result in the public being exposed to trainees who are yet to develop competence. Based on recent research in training methods within psychology at large, and in relation to CBT specifically, a model of competency-based training and assessment is presented to address these issues. This model extends the existing research on the use of the experiential self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR) framework for training in CBT. It proposes that the use of discrete exercises within a SP/SR training program promotes a more in-depth and nuanced appreciation of cognitive behavioural knowledge and skills and increased clinical competence. Furthermore, such exercises are proposed to provide an avenue for assessing clinical competence in specific skills prior to the commencement of direct client services. Key learning aims (1) To review literature on training for the development of clinical competence. (2) To review literature examining methods of assessing competence. (3) To propose the use of experiential training through a SP/SR framework as a method for providing both competency-based training and assessment.

Development and Effects of a Virtual Reality Simulation Nursing Education Program Combined With Clinical Practice Based on an Information Processing Model.

The need to strengthen patient human rights and create a patient-centered healthcare environment is growing. Also as science and technology develop, new educational methods using virtual reality in nursing education are emerging. This study aimed to develop a virtual reality simulation nursing education program related to postoperative patient nursing based on an information processing model and to verify its effectiveness. Clinical practice-linked virtual reality simulation nursing education was conducted for a total of 4 weeks. Nursing students were divided into an experimental group (n = 22) experiencing virtual reality simulation combined with clinical practice and a control group (n = 22) having routine clinical practice. The analytical results of this study indicated that the information processing model-based virtual reality simulation nursing education program was effective in improving nursing students' performance confidence and clinical decision-making ability. Therefore, the virtual reality simulation program developed in this study can provide basic data for the development of a simulation curriculum in the future and can contribute to the development of clinical competency as a professional nurse by improving the performance confidence and clinical decision-making ability of nursing students.

Implementación del mini-CEX en el pregrado médico: Una experiencia con simulación

Evaluation is a systematic process that results in a judgment to make decisions. The instruments used to obtain data on student performance require a systematic and objective process for their implementation. The mini-CEX is a direct observation tool that has been used for the evaluation of clinical competence in undergraduate and postgraduate students since its invention in 1955. It has different validity evidence for use in different educational and clinical contexts. It allows rapid evaluations, accompanied by feedback and providing relevant information on the development of clinical competence.

An Individualized, Holistic Approach to Supporting New Graduate Nurses.

New graduate nurses bring unique strengths and opportunities for growth to transition to practice. This article describes strategies organizations can use to foster an individualized and holistic approach to clinical competency and well-being development. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(11):492-494.].

Midwifery students' perceptions of clinical learning experiences and midwifery preceptors in Turkey

BackgroundThe clinical education environment presents a valuable opportunity for students to learn, acquire and develop the clinical skills essential for professional midwifery practice. The presence of competent and relevant preceptors plays a pivotal role in ensuring the success of midwifery students and fostering positive clinical experiences. AimThis study was conducted to evaluate the clinical practice experiences of midwifery students and their perceptions of midwifery preceptors. DesignA descriptive and cross-sectional study. MethodsThis study was conducted with 205 students enrolled in the midwifery department of the Faculty of Health Sciences of a state university in Turkey. Data collection used a participant information form and the Clinical Learning Environment and Midwifery Preceptor Scales designed to assess factors affecting midwifery students' clinical learning. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS 22.0 program, employing methods such as the Independent Sample T-Test, One-Way Analysis of Variance and Tukey test. ResultsThe average total score on the Clinical Learning Environment scale was 31.08±2.16 out of a possible 32, while the average total score on the Midwifery Preceptors scale was 17.60 (SD 1.27) out of a possible 18. The mean total score of the Midwifery Preceptor Scale and the mean scores of the sub-dimensions of Skill Development and Midwifery Practice Philosophy were found to be statistically significantly higher in those aged 21 years and older than aged 20 years and younger (P < 0.05). The Midwifery Preceptor Scale total score, the Clinical Learning Environment Scale total score and Skill Development sub-dimensions mean scores of the second-year students were found to be statistically significantly higher than the first and third-year students (P <0.05). Furthermore, students who received education in larger groups and willingly chose and had a passion for the midwifery profession demonstrated significant positive perceptions regarding their clinical learning environment experiences and the impact of their preceptors on their professional growth. ConclusionsUnderstanding the perspectives of midwifery students regarding the clinical education environment, preceptors and the teaching and learning process holds great importance for enhancing the quality of the clinical education environment and fostering the development of clinical competencies among midwifery preceptors.

An effectiveness evaluation of a community-based course for medical students: a randomized controlled trial in the teaching of epidemiology

BackgroundEpidemiology is considered to be the fundamental science of public health and plays an important role in clinical competence and professional development. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a short-term course for the teaching of epidemiology, which was designed as a community-based class for medical students.MethodThis course was designed according to Kern’s six-step approach to curriculum development. A total of 75 undergraduates were recruited. Forty-one students were assigned to an experimental group engaged in theoretical teaching and practical courses, while 34 students were assigned to the control group only taking theoretical courses. All participants were asked to complete a pre- and post-course survey and to take a test after completing the course. The scores between the experimental and control groups were compared using the Wilcoxon test.ResultThe experimental group showed significantly higher self-assessment scores in course understanding (p = 0.0126) and clinical practice skills (p = 0.0005) after completing the course, while no significant difference was observed in the control group. In addition, students in the experimental group reported significantly higher interest (p = 0.0015), stronger learning motivation (p = 0.0113) and a better mastery of epidemiology (p = 0.0167) after completing the course than those in the control group. However, test scores (p = 0.0859) and pass rates (p = 0.1755) demonstrated no statistical significance between the two groups.ConclusionThe short-term practical course in epidemiology exerted significantly positive effects on the improvement of student learning enthusiasm, course understanding and clinical practice skills. These findings provide new ideas and statistical evidence for the development of epidemiological instruction. Future studies should explore how to more widely and optimally apply community-based courses to the teaching of epidemiology.

Clinical competency development with handmade simulator in highly realistic paediatric dentistry scenarios.

The use of simulation is extremely useful in pregraduate students. However, there is a very small number of simulators adapted to paediatric dentistry. A paediatric simulator was created to use in simulated scenarios for paediatric dentistry using an actress in the role of mother. The objectives of the present study were three. First, to analyse the perception of clinical competencies acquired by the students. Second, to examine the realism perceived by the students. Finally, to analyse the influence on the perception of clinical competencies after the integration of a handmade simulator in the Paediatric Dentistry III course. Eight clinical scenarios were carried out with a modified Erler Zimmer simulator for children, a professional actress in the role of the mother and two students (in the roles of dentist and assistant) on a paediatric dentistry case of pulpal pathology. The educational intervention was evaluated on 114 students by means of questionnaires with Likert-type answers applied pre- and post-simulation. The perception of clinical competence in the students increased an average of 0.956 points in relation with the initial clinical evaluation, finding a strong correlation between the perception of subsequent competence and all the perceived realism, with significant statistical differences in all cases. The realism of the simulated participant (professional actress) was the best rated by the students, although not significantly. The realism of the mannequin was positively and strongly correlated with the perceived realism of the cabinet. Simulation using a handmade mannequin with a professional actress in a simulated dental office increased the perception of clinical competence in 4th year dental students and raised the level of overall realism perceived by the student.

Understanding strategies that foster nurses to act as clinical leaders in hospitals: A realist review.

To identify strategies that develop clinical nursing leadership competencies among staff nurses, and to explain the contextual elements and mechanisms that underpin the development of clinical nursing leadership competencies. Realist review according to the Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses-Evolving Standards (RAMESES). PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, PsycInfo and ProQuest were searched from January 2000 until October 2022. Three iterative phases: (1) development of initial programme theory, (2) structured searches for relevant published and grey literature and (3) data synthesis and interpretation by researchers and theory triangulation, and discussions within the research group. Multiple context-mechanism-outcome configurations were extracted from 10 reports that explain how, under what circumstances and why strategies can facilitate (or discourage) staff nurses to act as clinical leaders. Reports were both quantitative and qualitative in design, originating from English-speaking countries only. A logic model was developed and suggests four contexts and five mechanisms underlying the development of clinical nursing leadership. Growth in clinical nursing leadership was mainly experienced through experiential learning, which was enhanced by a supportive relationship with a coach or mentor, the use of reflective practices and modelling from other leaders. Furthermore, a supportive work environment triggers ownership, confidence and motivation, and thereby growth in clinical nursing leadership competencies. Fostering competencies for clinical leadership among staff nurses requires multifaceted strategies. Strategies are successful if, and only if, they combine learning by doing, by knowing and by observing, and establish a responsive work environment. Hospital policy should ensure that staff nurses have access to reciprocal relationships with role models or a coach. In order to grow as clinical nurse leader, ownership and self-reflection on own leadership behaviour need to be facilitated. Prospero ID CRD42021292290.

Evaluation of the Influence of the Simulator "TOPSET "TutorMAN"" and Facilitation of the Teacher on the Effective Mastering of the Skill

The authors compare two teaching approaches in mastering the medical manipulation "intravenous injection", assess the degree of influence of the TOPSET "TutorMAN" simulator and the trainer of practical skills among undergraduate students of "Medical University of Karaganda". Despite the great interest of students in high-tech simulators and peer-reviewed automated algorithms, stable knowledge and skills are formed while working with a teacher who contributes to the development of students' clinical competence through the use of soft skills.

The Experiences of Nursing Internship Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iran

Background: Nursing internship is a vital period for the formation of professional identity and development of clinical competency of nursing students, which has undergone extensive changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to explain the experiences of nursing internship students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. Methods: This qualitative-descriptive study was conducted using the conventional content analysis method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Participants included 15 nursing internship students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Iran, who were selected using purposive sampling. The interviews continued until data saturation. The trustworthiness of the data was ensured using Lincoln and Guba’s criteria. Data were analyzed via MAXQDA (version 10). Results: Data analysis led to the identification of two themes: (1) Paradoxes in clinical education path (with two categories including impaired learning and effective clinical education) and (2) Psychological pressure in patient care (with two categories including student protection and safety concerns and disruption of professional interaction). Conclusion: The present study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges for clinical nursing education that will affect professional competency in the future. Therefore, educational administrators must take into account the experiences of students as the main stakeholders in clinical education planning.

Registered Nurses’ Experiences of Using a 3D Game in the Development of clinical Competency: A qualitative Study

Background: Health professionals should receive lifelong education to maintain competency in medication administration and ensure safe medical practice. Game-based education is one way to enhance and ensure health professionals’ medication competency. Objectives: This study aimed to describe registered nurses’ experiences of the Imagine 3D game and their views of the effectiveness of this game-based education program in improving their medication competency. Methods: This qualitative interview study included eight registered nurses who completed an education program based on the 3D game Imagine, which aims to strengthen medication administration competency. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews between March and April 2019 and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Three themes were extracted from the study with the following concepts: (1) experiences of playing; (2) the usability of the game in verifying nurses’ medication competency; and (3) the game’s effectiveness in fostering registered nurses’ medical competency. On analyzing the nurses’ personal experiences, the game-based education program was valuable in training nurses to enhance their medication administration competency. Participants reported that the game was comfortable to play and useful in repeated medication administration tasks, and it increased their self-reflection and even changed their actions based on learning. The nurses reported that the game was most beneficial to nursing students and recent graduates and was used especially during the introductory period. Moreover, based on the interviews, the game was also useful in continuing education; therefore, it should be applied in all healthcare professionals’ training. Conclusions: This study shows that a 3D computer game can be useful for nurses to foster their knowledge and expertise in medication administration tasks.

The Use of Mock Standardized/Simulated Patient Encounters in Facilitating Development of Clinical Competence in Medical Students.

Background Standardized patient (SP) encounters are used in medical school to mimic clinical practice by exposing students to possible clinical situations they may encounter in future practice. SP includes trained individuals who portray the roles of patients to help medical students practice recording medical histories, physical exam skills, communication skills, and typing a subjective, objective, assessment and plan (SOAP) note. The goal of SP is to prepare medical students adequately during their didactic years before beginning clerkships. SP encounters have becomestandard in medical school curriculums, but the option for a mock SP encounter has not. Methods In this study, a total of 34 participants completed an eight-question survey before a mock SP experience and after their graded SP encounters to assess the students' confidence levels and preparedness. Each question addressed a different aspect of the student's satisfaction and attitude regarding the SP encounters. The answers were measured on a Likert scale from 1 (not prepared) to 5 (very prepared). The central tendency (mean) was analyzed using a T-test with Welch's method. The standard deviation was analyzed using Bonett's test.A Cronbach's alpha was used to show the reliability of the survey used. Results The first four questions addressed the student's satisfaction with their mock SP experience. The mean student satisfaction with being able to ask questions to improve their knowledge and understanding improved, with a p-value of< 0.001. Student satisfaction with having the opportunity to record a patient's history improved, with a p-value of < 0.001. The overall satisfaction with having a chance to practice physical exam skills improved, with a p-value of < 0.001. Mean student satisfaction with practicing treatment and counseling of patients improved, with a p-value of <0.001. The final four questions addressed the students' attitudes regarding their experience. The mean confidence of students improved, with a p-value of <0.001. Students also reported an improved attitude towards the feedback they received, with a p-value of <0.001. The final two questions did not show a statistically significant difference in answers. Students rated the final two questions equally before and after the mock SP experience, with p-values > 0.05. These questions addressed whether mock SP encounters would be beneficial and asked if they wanted additional mock simulation opportunities built into the curriculum. Conclusions The students showed improved confidence, attitudes, and satisfaction surrounding standardized patient encounters. The results supported the hypothesis that there would be a difference between the responses before and after the SP encounter.The questionnaire showed that the students reported subjective changes in their competence following the encounter.

Bootcamps para el desarrollo de competencias clínicas en estudiantes de Medicina durante la pandemia por COVID-19

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education institutions to make changes in the way medicine is taught. Among these strategies emerged the bootcamps, intensive training courses based on the development of practical skills, in order to improve clinical skills in simulated environments or in hospital practice sites. The objective of the study was to evaluate the academic quality of the bootcamps that were carried out by undergraduate medical students from La Sabana University during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsA descriptive study was developed on the perception of undergraduate Medicine students about the quality of the inter-monthly bootcamps developed by medical students from 6 to 11 semester of the University of La Sabana, in 12 public health centers. As private, to which the simulated hospital of said university was added as a practice center using the ROTA-Q questionnaire. ResultsThere was a sample of 221 medical students. A very favorable perception of the students was identified regarding the items to be evaluated, reaching a 96.4% maximum and minimum favorable perception of 87.7%. 94.5% of the students considered that the bootcamp they attended contributed to the development of clinical competencies within their learning. ConclusionThe use of bootcamps as a learning method in the field of medicine is innovative and very useful in times of confinement such as the COVID-19 pandemic, medical students have a very favorable perception about the teaching process and the results achieved with this.

Evaluating training needs in clinical psychology doctoral programs.

Advances in clinical psychology must be accompanied by advances in training. This study assessed training content, quality, and needs during clinical psychology doctoral programs among current or past doctoral students. Current or past clinical psychology doctoral students (N = 343) completed an anonymous survey assessing training experiences and needs. A descriptive-focused exploratory factor analysis (EFA)also examined whether common subgroups of academic interests emerged. Most participants reported that they sought training beyond required coursework, primarily in clinical training, cultural competency, and professional development, and reported having taken one or more unhelpful course, including discipline-specific knowledge requirements. Descriptive results from the EFA demonstrated common training areas of interest: diversity topics, biological sciences, clinical practice, and research methods. This study demonstrates that trainees and early career psychologists are aware of their nuanced and in some cases, unmet training needs. This work foregrounds the need to adapt extant training opportunities to support the next generation of clinical psychologists.

A Program of Simulated Learning Experiences to Develop Clinical Judgment and Clinical Competence Among Sophomore Baccalaureate Nursing Students

BackgroundClinical judgment and competence are two essential skills for undergraduate nursing students to learn. These two skills have been taught mostly in upper division nursing courses. MethodA single group repeated measures design was used to evaluate the effect of three simulated learning experiences using standardized participants (SP) in the development of clinical judgment and clinical competence among 47 sophomore nursing. The study also examined the relationship between clinical judgment skills and clinical competence among the study participants. ResultsStudy participants demonstrated increased abilities in clinical judgment skills (F [2, 92] = 11.41, p < .001, η2p = 0.20) as well as clinical competence (F [2, 92] = 10.79, p < .001, η2p = 0.19), and the relationship between the them was positive and significant at each measurement (Measurement # 1: r = 0.66, p < .001; Measurement # 2: r = 0.36, p = .013; Measurement # 3: r = 0.55, p < .001). ConclusionSimulation is an effective teaching strategy to develop clinical judgment and competence among nursing students early in a curriculum.

REVISITING COMPETENCE IN CLINICAL SUPERVISION

Competency-based approaches have been advocated in psychology graduate education and clinical training for over two decades, paralleling developments in medicine and other health professions. The competencies movement aimed at bringing greater accountability to the healthcare professions and to provide society with competent health service providers. Competency-based approaches to clinical supervision, including competency-based clinical supervision [1], [2] were developed to ensure the well-being of clients, facilitate the development of clinical competence, and protect the public. Although more than 6000 articles and books were published on clinical supervision from 2003-2021, relatively few explicitly focus on competence or competency-based approaches. And in practice, it appears that broad-based and systematic implementation of competency-based approaches has not been accomplished. The authors suggest that the failure to implement competency-based clinical supervision has significant consequences on mental health services. Effective, evidence-based services are critically needed given the increasing mental health acuity. The provision of evidence-based treatments requires the ’training-up’ of clinicians to establish competence in evidence-informed psychotherapy and psychosocial interventions. Developing competence would be best achieved through the use of competency-based approaches to training and clinical supervision. Barriers to implementation are discussed and a renewed call for implementation, including increased empirical research, is made.

Practice education facilitators perceptions and experiences of their role in the clinical learning environment for nursing students: a qualitative study

BackgroundClinical placement is recognised as essential for nursing students’ development of clinical competence. However, difficulties in providing supportive clinical learning environments are a well-known challenge in nursing education. In Norway, the use of nurse educators in joint university and clinical roles has been recommended as an initiative to strengthen the clinical learning environment and enhance the educational quality. In this study we use the term practice education facilitator in a generic sense for these roles. The aim of this study was to explore how practice education facilitators can contribute to strengthen the clinical learning environments for nursing students.MethodsThis study has a qualitative explorative design with a purposive sample of practice education facilitators affiliated to three different universities located in southeast, mid-, and northern Norway. Individual in-depth interviews with 12 participants were conducted during spring 2021.ResultsA thematic analysis resulted in four themes: “coherence between theory and practice”; “student support and guidance during placement”; “supporting the supervisors to support the students” and “factors influencing the practice education facilitators’ performance in their role”. The participants experienced that the practice education facilitator role contributed to strengthened clinical learning environments. However, their performance in the role was found to be contingent upon factors such as time allocated for the role, personal and professional attributes of the post holder, and a common understanding within the organisations regarding practice learning and role remits for the practice education facilitator.ConclusionsFindings indicate that the practice education facilitator role can be a valuable resource for clinical supervisors and nursing students in clinical placement. Moreover, nurse educators who are familiar with the clinical area, and who are insiders in both settings, are ideally placed to contribute to bridge the theory-practice gap. The benefits of using these roles, however, were influenced by personal attributes of the post holder, time allocated for the role and the number of practice education facilitators positions, and management anchorage. Thus, to achieve the full potential of these roles, efforts to reduce these barriers should be considered.