Experience of Nursing Students in Clinical Practice: A Qualitative Study

Background: Nursing is a profession which is based on practice. Clinical training plays a critical role in nursing students' achievement of professional competencies. The quality of nurse education depends on the quality of the clinical experience (Elliot, 2002; Napthine, 1996). The clinical experiences are central to the student‘s preparation (Penman and White, 2005; Papp et al, 2003). The Aim of the present study is to capture the nursing students‘ experience during their clinical training. A qualitative Phenomenological approach was used. Data was collected from all nursing students in King Saud Bin Abdul aziz University for health sciences (KSAU-HS), College of Nursing-Riyadh. The sample consisted of 172 nursing students were recruited. Two tools were used to collect data for the study. First tool was interview questionnaire sheet for socio demographic data and the second one was interview schedule conducted on focus groups according to their preference. Students expressed that they could practice on real situations. They experienced anxiety while communicating with male patients. Dealing with critical patients were the worst moments in their life. The study concluded that the students‘ reflections support that rigorous class room learning and the presence of instructor during clinical training prepare the students to face the challenges.