Volume 13, Issue 3 , September and October 2006, , Pages 127-133
Abstract
Background and purpose: The importance of nursing education in preparing the students to adopt their professional roles is currently recognized and the effectivencss of the clinical education has been increasingly emphasized with the student-centeredness being focused. The successful planning to meet ...
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Background and purpose: The importance of nursing education in preparing the students to adopt their professional roles is currently recognized and the effectivencss of the clinical education has been increasingly emphasized with the student-centeredness being focused. The successful planning to meet the requirements and to correct the deficits in clinical education necessitates an in-depth cognition on the lived experiences of nursing students who are the real targets of nursing curricula.
Methods and materials: The phenomenological approach was used in this study. Participants were nursing students from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, with at least one clinical experience as an obligatory course. 12 qualified nursing students were selected through purposive sampling and relevant data were obtcuhed through in- depth interviewing. Obtained Colaizi,s analysis method guided the researchers, activities throughout the study. The reliability and validity of the present study were grounded in four themes (factual value, applicability, consistency and neutrality) suggested by Guba and Lincoln.
Results: Interview transcriptions were analyzed and conceptual codes were extracted. Then the codes were identified with three themes and relevant sub- themes as follows: (1) Environment, (2) Preparedness in students (Pre- requisite knowledge and skills, questioning and communication skills), (3) Factors related with instructors (personality and behavioral traits, and their skills).
Conclusion: The findings revealed that the teaching-learning process is enhanced and proceeds with a higher quality under certain circumstances. For instance, nursing students should acquire essential theoretical knowledge before entering the clinical environment and gain sufficient expertise in adopting social roles in nursing practice. Provision of a working environment where students are supplied with essential and various instructional facilities and opportunities help them experience independence and professional competence more easily; in this regard, the instructors, skills and supportive role are really outstanding. Further research on any them explored in this study is suggested and recommended.