Clinical Education from the Viewpoints of Nursing and Midwifery Students in Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: The continuous examination of the current situation, and recognizing the strengths and improving the weaknesses are necessary for promoting the quality of clinical education. This study was designed to determine the problems of clinical education from the viewpoints of nursing and midwifery students of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this descriptive study performed in 2004-2005, all bachelor nursing and midwifery students who were in their last semester (n=133) were asked to complete a 36 item questionnaire as self-administered. The data was analyzed by SPSS software using frequency distribution. Results: The most important strength of clinical education were proper encounter with trainees, on time presence of trainees and trainers, respecting the pre-requisite courses, respecting the stages of clinical education, full support of trainees, and complete supervision over clinical education. The weaknesses included not using audiovisual aids, lack of welfare facilities, not evaluating trainers by the students, and lack of coordination between theory and practice. Conclusion: Most subjects concerning educational objectives and trainers were confirmed while the situation of educational environment, supervising and evaluation were not optimal. There were also some problems in encountering with students. It is recommended to improve the facilities and equipments of clinical education and revise the evaluation tools and process.