Clinical self-efficacy of final-year nursing students: A comparison of a 360-degree evaluation method with a conventional method

Background & Objective: The use of traditional clinical evaluation methods is one of the most critical challenges in obtaining professional competence and self-efficacy in clinical performance. This study aims to investigate the clinical self-efficacy of final-year nursing students by comparing a 360-degree evaluation method with a conventional evaluation method. Materials & Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 65 final-year nursing students at Abhar School of Nursing who were selected by census method and randomly divided into two control and experimental groups. In the beginning, the participants completed the clinical self-efficacy questionnaire then a briefing session was held for the experimental group. In the next step, a clinical evaluation of the experimental group was performed using the 360-degree standard form for two weeks. Furthermore, a routine evaluation method was used for the control group. At the end of the internship, both groups completed the clinical self-efficacy questionnaire again. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 25) using ANOVA, paired, and independent t-tests. Results: It was shown that the total self-efficacy score of the students in the experimental group increased after implementing the 360-degree method (P=0.003). Moreover, the clinical self-efficacy scores in the control and experimental groups revealed that the scores in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P=0.024). Conclusion: According to these findings, the use of the 360-degree evaluation method positively promotes students' clinical performance self-efficacy. Therefore, it is suggested that educational managers consider this evaluation method more and more as a comprehensive, appropriate, and efficient method for clinical courses.