The Clinical Learning Environments of Undergraduate Nursing Students in Iran Context: A Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study

Background: Clinical environments are one of the most effective areas for acquiring the clinical skills of nursing students. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the actual and preferential clinical learning environments. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1, 2019, to February 6, 2020 in Zanjan province. Samples included 380 nursing students who had the experience of one semester of internship were entered the study by stratified random sampling. Data collection tools were the Demographic Profile Questionnaire and Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI). The range of CLEI scores in both actual and preference learning environments is equal to 42-168. We analyzed data using SPSS software, version 22.0. We used descriptive and inferential statistics included independent t-test and one-way ANOVA to analyze the data. A significance level of 0.05 was considered. Results : The mean (SD) score of the actual clinical learning environment was 109.50(12.25), and the preferred learning environment was 131.08 (14.54). The difference between the two variables was statistically significant (t=22.39, P<0.001). There was a difference in the mean of some dimensions of the nursing students' preference and actual forms of clinical learning environment based on educational grade, different internships. Conclusion: There is a significant difference between the actual learning environment and students' expectations. This finding emphasizes the need for attention by managers and decision-makers in nursing education to change and improve the clinical learning environment.