[Factors influencing the learning process during apprenticeship. Study of the nursing students' perceptions in the...

The characteristics of teaching wards perceived by third year students of Trento nursing school as favouring the clinical teaching and learning were studied. The aim of the study was to identify the characteristics that favour or hamper the learning processes in order to identify the criteria for selecting the teaching wards. An open ended questionnaire was administered to the 60 third year students in may 1996. The most important variables favouring the learning processes were the opportunity to work with a registered nurse and the willingness of the medical and nursing personnel to teach in the word. Sixty-six percent of the respondents consider as pivotal to have a reference person or guidance (head nurses, clinical supervisors, expert nurses); 71.6% of the students find very valuable the variety of clinical cases and technique performed in the wards. Eighty-eight per cent of the students perceive that a good interpersonal relationship between the team and the students is a very important factor while a negative "social climate" has a negative impact on learning. Thirty-six per cent of the students state that a very high workload in the ward does not allow the student to pursue the aims of the educational project.