Pedagogical challenges at clinical skills centres in nursing education: A phenomenographic study.

Aim: To describe educators' conceptions of the pedagogical challenges involved in teaching practical topics to nursing students at clinical skills centres (CSCs).

Design: A qualitative descriptive design.

Methods: The study used a phenomenographic approach. Data were collected through individual qualitative interviews with 17 educators teaching at CSCs, between November 2020 and March 2021. The checklist called Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research for qualitative research was used.

Results: Three categories of description emerged regarding the educators' conceptions of the pedagogical challenges: teaching with credibility, teaching with confidence and creating a conducive learning environment. These conceptions were interrelated based on the way that the teaching was performed. Further, the results indicate that educators had to manage two different professional areas, that is, nursing and pedagogy, which both needed to be integrated in order to create the right learning environment.

Conclusion: To increase competence and confidence, it is recommended to develop educational course for the educators at the clinical skills centre where pedagogy and nursing are intertwined.

Implications for the profession: This study indicated the need for educators to be prepared with credibility and confidence when teaching at CSCs to create a conducive learning environment. In order to develop this, it is key to provide support through formal and informal mentoring and entail the need for educators to combine the two roles of nursing and pedagogy.

Reporting method: Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ).

Public contribution: No patient or public contribution.