Clinical Role Perceptions of Nursing Students in Selected Health Facilities in Central and Eastern Kenya

Abstract

Training of nursing students entails classroom theory and clinical practice in a clinical learning environment. Over 70% of the time in nursing training is spent in hospital practicing provision of patient care. This is the most crucial part of the training since nursing students get opportunities to put theory into practice. Therefore, when their roles are clear, there is an assurance of patient safety and enriched learning experience. The main objective of this study was to assess the role of nursing students in the clinical learning environment. This study used cross-sectional quantitative study and was conducted in Meru, Nyeri, and Chuka Teaching and Referral Hospitals. Data was collected from 235 undergraduate nursing students from four selected universities who had been to at least one clinical placement. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain the data. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data and presented in frequencies, percentages, tables, and figures. The results showed the mean age of the participants was 23 years. Approximately 61.8% (n=107) were female and 38.2% (n=66) were male. The majority of participants 100% (n=173) indicated doing assignments, caring for patient and applying theory to practice. 86.7% (n=150) indicated reporting to the ward as scheduled while 75.7% (n=131) indicated interact with other health workers in the wards. The results revealed that nursing students were aware of their roles in the clinical setting. The implication of these findings impacts students as they cultivate their future profession, patients who require safe healthcare provision, other healthcare providers who work as a team in healthcare provision, and general public who expect protection from malpractice. The study recommends to the nursing training institutions to outline roles of nursing student with the aid of clear objectives and scope of practice before clinical placement.