Impact of Early Clinical Exposure by Peer assisted learning on Clinical Performance among First Year Nursing Students

Introduction: Clinical education is the heart of nursing education. One of the challenges of clinical education is the lack of clarity of the relationship between theoretical education and clinical training. On the other hand, peer teaching can be a supplementary tool in clinical skills training. Therefore, this study examine the effect of early clinical exposure in peer assisted learning on the clinical practice of nursing students. Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 28 freshmen nursing students studying in Iranshahr University were selected and assigned to two groups of instructor teaching and peer teaching. The data collection tool was a clinical skill checklist which was completed based on observations before and after training. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and independent and paired samples t-tests. Results: No significant difference was found between two groups regarding the age, sex and grade of point (P = 0.08). After training, the score of clinical skills was 5.63 ± 0.45 in instructor group and 6.11±0.5 in peer group, and there was found a significant difference between groups (P < 0.05). The results of this study showed that students in peer teaching group performance better in comparison instructor group. Students' satisfaction with attendance in hospital with peer teaching was higher. Conclusions: Exposing students with a real clinical environment will allow students to get a better view of nursing. If this experience is brought about by peers, they will improve their clinical education.