Evaluating clinical placements in Saudi Arabia with the CLES+T scale

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professions Education
• Clinical Learning Environments

Background:

• The Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision (CLES) tool, enhanced to CLES+T, assesses clinical placements.
• This study evaluates the CLES+T scale's utility in Saudi Arabia for measuring nursing student satisfaction.
• Understanding clinical learning environments is crucial for effective nursing education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure Saudi nursing students' satisfaction with their clinical learning environment using the CLES+T scale.
• To identify factors associated with student satisfaction, particularly the role of nurse tutor involvement.
• To compare findings with international studies on clinical placement evaluations.

Main Methods:

• The enhanced Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision plus Tutor involvement (CLES+T) scale was administered to Saudi nursing students.
• Linear regression analysis was employed to examine the relationships between variables and CLES+T scores.
• Data were analyzed to determine associations with total scores and subscale scores.

Main Results:

• Overall, Saudi nursing students expressed general satisfaction with their clinical placements.
• For female students, a higher frequency of nurse tutor visits correlated positively with higher CLES+T scores.
• No significant association was found for male students between tutor visits and satisfaction, potentially due to fewer visits.

Conclusions:

• Nurse tutor presence and engagement are positively linked to clinical placement satisfaction among female Saudi nursing students.
• The CLES+T scale is a viable tool for assessing clinical learning environments in Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi nursing students' perceptions of clinical placements align with those reported in international contexts.