Nursing students’ viewpoints toward two methods of clinical conference and clinical nursing round

BACKGROUND Clinical education provides a chance to combine theoretical knowledge and clinical skills. Students are the key elements in the evaluation of clinical education efficacy. The present study was aimed to define nursing students' viewpoints concerning conformity to the characteristics of clinical conference and clinical round. METHODS This descriptive analytical study was conducted on the bachelor's students of the 4th-6th semester of nursing. Sampling was conducted using census sampling method during the 2nd semester of 2014-2015 school year. Data collection tool was a three-section researcher-made questionnaire containing demographic, nursing round, and clinical conference characteristics. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests (independent t-test, ANOVA, and Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficients) were used for data analysis. RESULTS Participants were 134 bachelor's students of the 4th-6th semester of nursing. According to half of the participants, conformity to the characteristics of clinical conference (45.5%, 53%) and clinical round (44%, 51.5%) were poor and medium, respectively. Paired t-test showed a significant difference between students' viewpoints toward the planning of clinical conference and clinical nursing round (P = 0.006, t = 2.77). CONCLUSIONS According to the results of the present study on students' viewpoints, clinical education faces a serious challenge with regard to clinical education methods. Considering the necessity and importance of clinical education, more investigation should be conducted to detect its relevant factors and plan for its improvement.