Faculty and student perceptions of effective clinical teachers

The following study has been conducted to discover the characteristics of an effective clinical teacher as described by faculty and students in a selected baccalaureate school of nursing. Through determination of these characteristics, clinical teachers can improve their teaching methodology and provide a more effective learning environment for the learner. The identification of these characteristics also has implications for graduate nursing education, as clinical teachers are being prepared in this arena to enter the teaching environment. Administrators should consider utilization of these characteristics for teacher evaluation purposes. Nursing educators must attempt to bridge the gap between what educators and students perceive as characteristics of the effective clinical teacher. The ultimate goal to be achieved from identification of effective clinical teacher characteristics, as determined in this study, is improvement in clinical teaching.