Perceptions of Nursing Undergraduates Regarding Their Clinical Placements: A Qualitative Interpretative Study.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Clinical placements are central to nursing education, but students' experiences are shaped by the clinical learning environment, relationships with staff, autonomy, and assessment, as well as curricular design. This study explored nursing undergraduates' lived experiences of clinical placements at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), their perceptions of the current placement programme, and suggestions for improvement. Methods: A qualitative, interpretative, sequential study with a hermeneutic phenomenological orientation was conducted. Eligible third- and fourth-year nursing students were recruited during the 2025/2026 academic year (N = 14). Phase 1 comprised ten individual semi-structured interviews, analysed inductively using ATLAS.ti, with descriptive co-occurrence patterns supporting the interpretative synthesis. Phase 2 consisted of a focus group with four additional students, with the data analysed deductively using the Phase 1 thematic framework. Results: Fifteen subthemes were organised into five themes: general experience, relationship with staff, autonomy and learning, structure and organisation, and assessment. Participants generally perceived their clinical placements positively, although experiences varied across settings. They associated satisfaction and learning with team inclusion, relationships with clinical staff, progressive autonomy, and supervision, while identifying challenges in placement organisation and assessment, particularly the reliance on written assignments rather than direct observation of clinical performance. Across both phases, participants' accounts reflected interconnected relational, educational, organisational, and assessment-related dimensions. Collective discussion further elaborated these experiences and potential improvements concerning supervision, placement organisation, and assessment. Conclusions: Nursing students' accounts suggested that clinical placement experiences reflected the interaction of relational, educational, organisational, and assessment-related dimensions. Collective reflection further elaborated these experiences and enabled potential improvements concerning supervision, placement organisation, and assessment to be discussed. These context-specific findings may inform future curricular review, although their transferability and the feasibility of the proposed improvements require evaluation in broader and more diverse student populations.