The Educational Problems of Clinical Field Training Based on Nursing Teachers and Last Year Nursing Students View points

Introduction. Different problems could lead to reducing the efficiency of field training for nursing students. Identifying and solving these problems is necessary to reinforce some effective educational methods. The aim of this study was to determine the problems in clinical field training for nursing students from the viewpoints of nursing teachers and nursing students in Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences. Methods. In this descriptive study 22 nursing instructors and 36 last year nursing students were selected by census method. The data gathering tool was a valid and reliable researcher made questionnaire. The data was analyzed by SPSS software using frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation and t-test. Results. The majority of nursing students and teachers (over 50%), evaluated this programme as relatively weak to weak, in attaining "holistic view and community-oriented nursing", and acquiring "skills in nursing process and patient education". They stated some problems in clinical training such as "inadequate access to educational and welfare facilities", "lack of health care team cooperation", and "scattered training in clinical wards". They believed that some changes are necessary in field training. There was no significant difference between the mean scores of nursing students' and instructors' view points. Conclusion. Although field training is appropriate for promoting skills and students' independency for providing community-oriented services in different fields of nursing and the total view towards this program is positive, there are numerous problems in the process of field training that have to be addressed by nursing educational leaders.