A Descriptive, Cross- Sectional Study Analyzing the Characteristics of an Effective Clinical Instructor: Perceptions of Baccalaureate Nursing Students

This study explored baccalaureate students’ perception of the characteristics of an effective clinical instructor utilizing the Whitehead Characteristics of Effective Clinical Instructor Rating Scale. The instrument is a 39 item 5 point Likert-type scale that measures, interpersonal relationships, personality traits, teaching practices, knowledge and experience, and evaluation procedures. This descriptive, cross-sectional study utilized a sample of 110randomly selected second and third year students from an urban school of nursing. Results showed that students regarded all characteristics as important (m= 4.05 to 4.76). A comparison of the means for the characteristics of an effective clinical instructor by year group, showed significant differences between the year groups for all five categories (p= 0.0001). A comparison of the mean characteristics of effective clinical instructors by age groups revealed statistically significant differences between the mean scores of interpersonal relationship (p= .005), personality traits (p= .024), teaching practices (p= .027) and evaluation procedures (p= .047). Students placed high levels of importance on the characteristics of the Clinical instructor. Therefore to ensure a suitable environment for learning, nursing schools could establish interactive feedback sessions with students and clinical instructors to ensure both groups have an understanding of their expectations of each other.