Stress in the Clinical Learning Environment: Perceptions of First-Year Finnish Nursing Students

The aim of the study was to examine how first-year Finnish nursing students perceive stress and the coping strategies they use in the clinical learning environment.

Stress from the clinical learning environment is a recurrent problem in nursing education. This topic has not been explored in the Finnish context.

This is a cross-sectional study using data from 189 first-year nursing students. Students completed the Perceived Stress Scale and Coping Behavior Inventory; t-tests and Pearson correlation analyses were performed.

Our sample rarely experienced stress, with a mean stress score of 1.07 (SD = 0.49). A commonly reported stressor was lack of professional knowledge and skills (M = 1.49, SD = 0.82). Transference was the most common coping strategy.

Our findings may help nursing teachers understand stressors in the clinical learning environment and support their students to use effective coping strategies, such as problem-solving and optimistic attitudes.