Volume 29, Issue 3
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.706
A Cross-sectional Survey on the Correlation Between Clinical Learning Environment and Attitudes Toward Career Choice among Nursing Students
Abstract
The attitude towards career choice is a key indicator for determining the quality of nursing education. Clinical learning environment is an important factor for nurses to complete their clinical practice programs. Moreover, it may influence career decision making among nursing students. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between clinical learning environment and attitudes toward career choice among undergraduate nursing students. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used in this study. A total of 219 nursing students were recruited at Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, China. Data regarding baseline demographics, clinical learning environment scale (CLES) and general self-efficiency scale (GSES) were collected using a questionnaire survey. The results demonstrated that the attitudes of nursing students toward career choice were positively correlated to their clinical learning environment. The total score for the evaluation of CLES was 124.89±17.85 points, with the average scores of 20.82 (SD=3.33) and 4.16 (SD=0.59) for the 6 dimensions and 30 items, respectively. Notably, the students considering nursing jobs had a significantly higher CLES score compared to students not considering nursing jobs (P<0.05), for all the 6 dimensions such as interpersonal relationship, quality of teachers, working atmosphere, teaching methods, learning opportunities and organization support. To sum up, nursing students are more willing to pursue nursing jobs if their clinical learning environments are better. Thus, a greater number of participatory operations should be arranged by nurse educators when designing the clinical practice programs.
Keywords
Nursing students; Career attitude; Clinical learning environment; Nursing education.