Nursing students' perceptions of clinical experience

Senior nursing students were interviewed in this study to better understand the clinical learning experience from the students' point of view. Results of the study revealed that the nursing students were indeed learning in their clinical experience. The major categories of learning were classified as nursing skills, time management, and professional socialization. The quality of learning was reportedly affected by the quality of the student's preparation, characteristics of the instructor, and the variety of clinical opportunities to which students were exposed. The data also reflected a pattern of student development which was separated into three stages. The first stage was permeated with anxiety and obsession with the rules of task performance. The second stage was a difficult transition period where students struggled with identifying the roles of nurses. During the final stage, the students become more comfortable with performing nursing tasks and become interested in expanding their role and becoming more independent. As the students strived for independence, they identified more closely with staff nurses and withdrew from instructors.