Nurses' attitude towards attendance of nursing students in the clinical setting in Shahrekord in 2015

Background and Purpose: Attendance of nursing students in clinical settings is an inherent element of nursing education. This study
aimed to evaluate the attitudes of nurses toward the attendance of nursing students in clinical settings in Shahrekord, Iran.
Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in Hajar teaching hospital of Shahrekord city, Iran in 2015. Using convenience
sampling, 150 eligible nurses were selected for this study. Data were collected using demographic questionnaires and Stagg’s attitude
scale. In addition, we assessed the viewpoints of nurses regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the attendance of nursing
students in clinical environments using two open questions. Data analysis was performed using Chi-square, Student’s t-test, and
Pearson’s correlation-coefficient.
Results: Negative attitude toward the attendance of nursing students in clinical settings was observed in 82% of the participants.
Moreover, 80.7% of the nurses believed that nursing students are not able to acquire sufficient clinical experiences in clinical
environments. On the other hand, no significant correlation was observed between age, work experience, marital status, and attitude
toward the attendance of nursing students in clinical settings (P>0.05). However, this difference was only significant in terms of
the ward of employment (P=0.004), so that nurses engaged in the psychiatric ward had a more positive attitude toward this concept
compared to other nurses.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, special attention must be paid to the clinical education of nurses with regard to their
experiences and viewpoints toward improving clinical learning.