Nurses’ attitude towards attendance of nursing students in the clinical setting in Shahrekord in 2015

Abstract Background and Purpose: Attendance of nursing students in clinical settings is an inherent element of nursing education. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of nurses toward the attendance of nursing students in clinical settings in Shahrekord, Iran. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in Hajar teaching hospital of Shahrekord city, Iran in 2015. Using convenience sampling, 150 eligible nurses were selected for this study. Data were collected using demographic questionnaires and Stagg’s attitude scale. In addition, we assessed the viewpoints of nurses regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the attendance of nursing students in clinical environments using two open questions. Data analysis was performed using Chi-square, Student’s t-test, and Pearson’s correlation-coefficient.    Results: Negative attitude toward the attendance of nursing students in clinical settings was observed in 82% of the participants. Moreover, 80.7% of the nurses believed that nursing students are not able to acquire sufficient clinical experiences in clinical environments. On the other hand, no significant correlation was observed between age, work experience, marital status, and attitude toward the attendance of nursing students in clinical settings (P>0.05). However, this difference was only significant in terms of the ward of employment (P=0.004), so that nurses engaged in the psychiatric ward had a more positive attitude toward this concept compared to other nurses. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, special attention must be paid to the clinical education of nurses with regard to their experiences and viewpoints toward improving clinical learning.