Satisfaction with the clinical practice among nursing students using regression models and qualitative comparative analysis.

BACKGROUND

Clinical practice is considered fundamental in nursing studies for the effective education of nurses and students' satisfaction. Both the clinical environment and the clinical educator are key factors in students´ satisfaction.

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the influence of the socio-demographic variables of clinical educators and nursing students on satisfaction with the clinical practice.

DESIGN

This was an observational, cross-sectional study.

SETTINGS

A clinical practice course at a private university in Valencia, Spain.

PARTICIPANTS

The study included 527 nursing students enrolled on the clinical practice, supervised by 187 clinical educators.

METHODS

Two statistical methodologies were used for data analysis: hierarchical regression models (HRM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis model (fsQCA).

RESULTS

The results indicate that sociodemographic variables such as sex, being a woman, and being in the second grade year group, influence student satisfaction in both methodologies.

CONCLUSIONS

According to our results, establishing specific academic plans for students in higher years (3rd and 4th) could improve nursing students' satisfaction with their clinical practice. Adequate training of students is a key factor in the provision of high-quality nursing care.