Attributes for Characterizing Nursing Students’ Satisfaction in Clinical Settings

Abstract

Introduction: Assessment of Nursing students’ satisfaction in clinical learning environments is mediated by contextual attributes of the learning climate and tutorial action.

Objective: To explore, from a qualitative perspective, attributes identified by Nursing students for characterizing satisfaction in clinical settings.

Methods: Study with an exploratory descriptive design. The units of analysis were Nursing students from two academic units of Chilean universities, during school period: March-November 2019. Homogeneous sampling was chosen. Regular third- and fourth-year Nursing students who had had at least one month of uninterrupted clinical practice were included in the study, while first- and second-year students and Nursing interns were excluded. Fieldwork began with wandering and the creation of social and temporal maps, while focus group was used as a data collection technique, ensuring sample saturation and data sufficiency. Requirements and ethical principles for research in humans were met.

Results: The students distinguish that the attributes for measuring their satisfaction in practical teaching settings are influenced or affected by conditions of the clinical care environment, as well as by tutor professionalism, which, as a whole, qualify their satisfaction and, therefore, the learning climate.

Conclusions: From the central category of the study construct, it was possible to verify, within the discourses, the subcategories and attributes for measuring the students’ satisfaction in the clinical practice settings.