The Relationship Between The Organization Of Supervision And Student Nurses’ Evaluation Of The Clinical Learning Environment

Aim This paper aimed at investigating student nurses’ evaluation of the clinical learning environment in relation to the organization of supervision. Method This study used a mixed study design. It included quantitative questionnaire survey and qualitative semi-structured interview. The participants(N=180) were undergraduate nursing students in the final term of nursing programme from four three-year vocational schools in China. In quantitative study, the instrument used for measuring the students’ experiences of the learning environment in the clinical placement was the Clinical Learning Environment evaluation scale. Date were analyzed by using SPSS V.16 software. In qualitative study,10 three-year vocational nursing students were interviewed in the qualitative semi-structured interviews, which were based on the principles of information saturation. Result In summary, the organization of supervision in the hospital could be divided into 3 categories:(1)The nurse student has a named personal preceptor assigned throughout.(2)The nurse student has a named personal preceptor assigned but sometimes received supervision also from others.(3) The nurse student often receive supervision from different preceptors. Generally the students had positive evaluation of the clinical learning environment. However, there were significant differences in their ratings of task orientation (P,0.005), pedagogical atmosphere (.P,0.011),supervisory relationship (P,0.023), student involvement (P,0.032)and innovation(P,0.039) depending on how the supervision was organized. Analysation of qualitative data revealed four themes of the organization of supervision:First, communication among nursing students, teachers and patients will be enhanced, when the student take charge of the patient together with a teacher. Second, the sense of responsibility of nursing students will be enhanced, when the student take charge of the patient together with a teacher. Third, the students overall expected that they were supervised by a personal teacher, but they want to learn something different from another teacher occasionally. Fourth, preceptors should have good approaches to and interest in clinical education.Conclusion The evaluation of the clinical learning environment is positive. Students who had a named personal preceptor assigned but sometimes received supervision also from others were more positive concerning task orientation, pedagogical atmosphere, and supervisory relationship. Clinical nursing and nursing education administrators should take appropriate measures to create a good learning environment for clinical nursing students.