Abstract

AIM: The clinical setting is a significant learning environment for nursing students. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the problems experienced in clinical practices by the students studying in the Nursing Department of the Health Sciences Faculty of Gaziantep University and their views about clinic nurses.
METHOD: Study consisted of 296 students who agreed to take part in the study and were attending the classes at the time when the questionnaire was administered became the sample of the study. Data were collected between 2-13 May 2011 using a questionnaire which was prepared by searching through the literature. The data obtained was electronically evaluated using quantification, percentage calculations and chi-square test.
RESULTS: Most of the students stated that they worked with nurses (44.3%) and their friends (44.3%) during clinical practices, the major reason for their having problems was because they could not put into practice the theoretical knowledge they received in school (33.8%), 59.1% stated that nurses partially helped them use their conceptual knowledge in practice, and 53.0% said that they did not have any support from nurses when they experienced a problem during practice. When the students were compared by their grades, it was found that the 1st grade students received support from nurses in solving the problems they had in the clinic and in using the conceptual knowledge they had in practice, but this support decreased as their grades went up (p

Key words: Student nurse, nursing education, clinical practices

Article Language: Turkish English