Comparison the Effect of two Methods of Internship and Apprenticeship in the Field on Clinical Competence of Nursing Students

Introduction: Several  studies show that apprenticeship in the field have not been able to improve the professional ability and competence of students to the desired level. Therefore, this study was conducted to Compare the effect of two methods of internship and apprenticeship in the field on clinical competence of nursing students. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study in which two methods of internship and apprenticeship in the field were performed for 89 final year nursing students in two groups for two semesters. Data were collected using demographic information and clinical competency questionnaire that its validity and reliability was confirmed by content validity and chronbach`s alpha( 0.93) respectively. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics,paired t-test and chi-square test with  statistical significance( p<0.05)  through SPSS. Results: Paired t-test showed that the mean score of total clinical competencies and dimension of care management, its individual management in the apprenticeship group of two times did not differ significantly (P> 0.05) and in other dimensions in the apprenticeship group was significantly higherat the end of the semester than before the beginning of the semester (P <0.05). Also, the mean score of total clinical competencies and all its dimensions in the internship group after the end of the semester was significantly higher than before the beginning of the semester and in the internship group this increase was greater. (P <0.05). Conclusion: Using the internship plan for final year nursing students improve their clinical competence, which will definitely improve the quality of care of patients and reduce  clinical care errors . Therefore, the use of internship plan for clinical education of nursing students is recommended.