Maalouf Imad, El Zaatari Wafaa
Nursing Department, Fatima College of Health Sciences, Al Ain 999041, United Arab Emirates.
College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Zayed University, Dubai 19282, United Arab Emirates.
Nurs Rep. 2025 Jun 5;15(6):204. doi: 10.3390/nursrep15060204.
Nursing students' readiness for clinical practicums is critical to nursing education. Concerns about students' preparedness for clinical courses have emerged due to increased student-to-educator ratios and limited hands-on practice time. Moreover, feedback from clinical instructors reveals that many student nurses lack the necessary knowledge and skills for patient care, thereby raising questions about their readiness for clinical practicum. This study investigates undergraduate nursing students' readiness for clinical practicum in the UAE by examining their perspectives, the variation in clinical study plans across different contexts, and the evidence gathered from clinical evaluations. A case study design was adopted, utilizing semi-structured interviews with 13 nursing students from a UAE nursing college. Additionally, two types of document analysis were conducted. First, 11 nursing curricula from high-ranking universities were analyzed to compare whether students received adequate laboratory courses for their clinical practicum. Second, 217 clinical evaluation reports from third- and fourth-year nursing students across 4 campuses of the UAE nursing college were reviewed. The study identified two key themes from the interviews: incomplete readiness for clinical practicum and the factors contributing to this incomplete readiness. Document analysis revealed that, unlike many American and Australian institutions, most universities lacked co-requisite laboratory courses. Clinical evaluation reports highlighted that some students, particularly in their fourth year, were inadequately prepared for clinical practice due to deficiencies in both clinical skills and theoretical knowledge. The findings indicate that many nursing students felt only partially prepared for their practicum, negatively impacting their confidence and competency. Moreover, adopting the American and Australian approach of pairing practicum courses with laboratory courses may better prepare students for clinical practicum. Recommendations for future research have been outlined.
护理专业学生对临床实习的准备情况对护理教育至关重要。由于学生与教育工作者的比例增加以及实践操作时间有限，人们对学生临床课程的准备情况产生了担忧。此外，临床教师的反馈显示，许多护生缺乏必要的患者护理知识和技能，从而引发了对他们临床实习准备情况的质疑。本研究通过考察阿联酋本科护理专业学生的观点、不同背景下临床学习计划的差异以及从临床评估中收集的证据，来调查他们对临床实习的准备情况。采用了案例研究设计，对阿联酋一所护理学院的13名护理专业学生进行了半结构化访谈。此外，还进行了两种类型的文献分析。首先，分析了11所顶尖大学的护理课程，以比较学生是否接受了足够的临床实习实验课程。其次，审查了阿联酋护理学院4个校区三、四年级护理专业学生的217份临床评估报告。研究从访谈中确定了两个关键主题：临床实习准备不充分以及导致这种不充分准备的因素。文献分析表明，与许多美国和澳大利亚的机构不同，大多数大学缺乏配套的实验课程。临床评估报告强调，一些学生，尤其是四年级学生，由于临床技能和理论知识的不足，对临床实习准备不充分。研究结果表明，许多护理专业学生觉得自己对实习只是部分准备好，这对他们的信心和能力产生了负面影响。此外，采用美国和澳大利亚将实习课程与实验课程相结合的方法，可能会让学生更好地为临床实习做好准备。已概述了对未来研究的建议。
