Factors Influencing Nursing Student Learning During Clinical Placements: A Modified Delphi Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Learning Environments

Background:

• Nursing student clinical learning is influenced by the environment, clinical facilitators, and student factors.
• Understanding these influences is crucial for optimizing educational experiences.

Approach:

• A modified Delphi study involving 34 and 17 nurse educators across two rounds established expert consensus.
• Short-answer questions explored the facilitation of learning during clinical placements.

Key Points:

• Enablers of effective clinical learning include a positive workplace culture, student attitude, and clear facilitator-student communication.
• Barriers identified were lack of teaching time, short placement durations, and negative attitudes from students and facilitators.
• Consensus (≥80% agreement) was achieved on all identified factors.

Conclusions:

• Further research is recommended to investigate how these factors are managed during clinical placements.
• Evaluating the quality of resources for students and facilitators is essential for improving clinical learning outcomes.