Contribution of nursing students to clinical settings: A multi center cross sectional study

Abstract

Aims: To describe the contribution of nursing students to clinical settings based on the perceptions of nurse preceptors and to examine whether certain characteristics of nurses’ professional activity are associated with a positive perception of nursing students. Background: Most clinical agencies receive many nursing students each year, who acquire clinical competencies under the guidance of a registered nurse preceptor. However, there is limited evidence of the contributions made by nursing students during clinical placements. Methods: A multi-center cross-sectional study was carried out between June and December 2019. A convenience sample of Registered Nurses (n = 927) was recruited from four public hospitals in Spain. The Nursing Student Contributions to Clinical Settings’ questionnaire was used. In addition, sociodemographic, work and teaching activity variables were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the variables associated with positive student contributions. Results: The nursing student contributions were deemed favorable by 70.7% of the nurse preceptors, mainly because the nursing students are future professionals who know the center, support the development of the nurses’ teaching role and constitute a link between the health center and the university. Certain professional characteristics of the Registered Nurses were significantly associated with a positive perception of the contributions of nursing students: having daily coffee breaks (Odds ratio: 2.60; 95% Confidence interval:1.27–5.32), high levels of professional satisfaction (Odds ratio: 2.13; 95% Confidence interval:1.21–3.75) and work in medical-surgical units (Odds ratio: 1.62; 95% Confidence interval: 1.08–2.41). In contrast, nurses with greater work experience (≥ 30 years) (Odds ratio: 0.48; 95% Confidence interval: 0.27–0.85) and who worked at units where 10 or more students perform clinical practice (Odds ratio: 0.57; 95% Confidence interval: 0.36–0.90) were associated with a lower probability of positive perceptions. Conclusions: In Spain, the contributions made by nursing students to clinical settings are favorable, both for the nursing profession and for healthcare institutions. Their contributions are influenced by the professional characteristics of the Registered Nurses, as well as the environment and the teaching activity within the units