Comparison of actual and preferred nursing student perception of clinical learning environment in Arak university of medical sciences, 2009

Introduction: Nursing is a practice-based discipline. The clinical field is an essential and irreplaceable resource in preparing student nurse for their professional role. Despite many changes that occur in clinical learning environment (CLE), these environments remains important to nurse training. However, we need to identify the key attributes of a good CLE. It is important we utilize these findings to determine and understand learners’ perception of the clinical area as a learning environment in today’s nursing climate so to enhance the learning experience. Method: The purpose of this cross-sectional analytic study was to determine and analyze the difference in student nurses’ perceptions of their actual and preferred clinical learning environments. One hundred ten students completed the two versions, the Actual and Preferred Forms, of the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory, (CLEI) following the completion of their clinical field placement. Three hundred forty Actual Forms and 110 Preferred Forms returned. SPSS was employed to analyze data with descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: There were 63 (56.27%) female and 47 (43.73%) male, with a total of 110 among the Year 2 to Year 4 nursing students with age ranged between 19 and 25 years. It was found that there were significant differences between students’ perceptions of the actual clinical learning environment and the ideal clinical learning environment they desired. The study highlights the need for a supportive clinical learning environment which is of paramount importance for students in clinical practice. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that in comparison with the actual hospital environment, students would prefer an environment with higher levels of clarification of task orientation, satisfaction, individualization, and innovation in teaching and learning strategies.