Nursing students' perceptions of learning in practice environments: a review

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Practice Environments
• Clinical Learning

Background:

• Effective clinical learning hinges on student integration, staff engagement, and innovative teaching.
• Assessing practice environments offers insights into optimizing student learning experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify predominant features of clinical learning environments from nursing students' perspectives.
• To analyze trends in student perceptions across different countries using a standardized measure.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of six studies conducted in three countries over the past decade.
• Utilized the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI) to gather student perspectives.

Main Results:

• Students reported high levels of task accomplishment and affiliation, though affiliation was influenced by care models.
• Feedback regarding accommodation of individual student needs and views consistently received lower ratings.
• Cross-country analysis revealed similar student perceptions of learning environments.

Conclusions:

• Clinical learning environments effectively promote safe practice and inclusivity for student learners.
• These environments demonstrate limited openness to innovation and challenges to routine practices.
• Standardized assessment tools like CLEI reveal consistent cross-cultural student perceptions of clinical learning environments.