The Perceptions and Expectations of the Clinical Learning Environment in Saudi Arabia: a Multidisciplinary Study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Medical Training
• Clinical Pedagogy

Background:

• The clinical learning environment is essential for healthcare students' skill development.
• Effective evaluation of clinical education requires valid and reliable tools.
• Understanding student perceptions is key to optimizing learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess Saudi undergraduate healthcare students' perceptions of their actual and preferred clinical learning environments.
• To identify differences between actual and preferred learning environments using the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey design was employed.
• The Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI) was used to collect data.
• 194 Saudi undergraduate healthcare students from nine disciplines participated.

Main Results:

• Task Orientation received the highest mean scores for both actual and preferred environments.
• Significant differences were found in Innovation and Individualization, with higher scores for the preferred environment.
• All five subscales (Individualization, Innovation, Involvement, Personalization, Task Orientation) are crucial for student satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Saudi healthcare students favor environments encouraging new experiences and valuing individuality.
• Student satisfaction is influenced by multiple factors within the clinical learning environment.
• Targeted enhancements can significantly improve healthcare students' clinical experiences and learning outcomes.