Nursing students experience various stressors during their initial clinical practicum. As these stressors negatively affect learning and performance, coping strategies are essential. Therefore, this research study explored the relationship between coping styles and stress levels using a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 184 nursing students. Clinical practicum stress and coping styles were assessed via electronic questionnaires, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and variance analyses. The highest score for clinical practice stress was for the practical education environment and practical work burden. The total stress score differed significantly according to coping style (t = −2.36, p = 0.020), and the total stress score of the passive coping group was higher. Among the sub-categories of stress, the scores of the education environment (t = −2.68, p = 0.008) and having undesirable role models (t = −2.14, p = 0.034) were significantly higher in the passive coping group. Although practical work burden was the highest stress factor in the active coping style group, the stress on the environment was highest in the passive coping group. The findings show that professors and clinical educators should recognize the various coping styles and incorporate different teaching methods in the clinical setting.
Critical reflection develops nurses’ critical thinking and clinical reasoning competency. It is necessary to develop a validated scale to measure critical reflection competency considering the clinical situation and nursing context. Therefore, this study analyzed the concept of critical reflection, developed a scale to measure critical reflection competency, and verified its validity and reliability. The concept of critical reflection and components of the scale were confirmed through literature review and results of previous studies on content analysis. A total of 64 preliminary items were derived on a 5-point Likert scale. The adequacy of vocabulary and expression was checked, and a content validity test was conducted. An I-CVI value of 0.88–1.00 was computed. Construct validity was conducted through an exploratory factor analysis, and data collected from 296 clinical nurses were analyzed. Five factors and nineteen items were derived, and the explanatory power was found to be 53.02%. Cronbach’s α of the scale was 0.853. Future studies need to develop a critical reflection education program and utilize this concept as an educational strategy. We propose a study to verify the effect of applying an educational program using the critical reflection competency scale developed in this study.
Aim: To assess the effectiveness of the Clinical Nurse Educator Support Project and offer valuable insights for supporting nursing education.Background: Allocating clinical nursing educators is crucial for supporting novice nurses' transition into the clinical setting and improving their performance.Introduction: In 2019, the Ministry of Health and Welfare in South Korea implemented the Clinical Nurse Educator Support Project, which involves governmental financial support for the employment of clinical nurse educators.Methods: This study employed a repeated cross‐sectional design to assess the project outcomes. Following the framework of the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model, secondary data from annual self‐program evaluation reports were analyzed to assess program satisfaction, clinical adaptation, and turnover rates of novice nurses. The “Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist” guided the reporting of the study.Results: The project played a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of nursing education. Novice nurses’ program satisfaction and clinical adaptation consistently remained high or exhibited an increase. The project led to a decrease in turnover rate among novice nurses, while the coronavirus 2019 pandemic resulted in increased turnover rates due to limited clinical practice opportunities for nursing students.Conclusion: Government support for clinical nurse educators has positively impacted the institutionalization of nursing education. The pressing need is to prioritize not only the enhancement of nursing education quality and the improvement of nurses' working conditions but also the development of healthcare policies and programs to effectively respond to unforeseen challenges and crises.Implications for nursing policy: Government and healthcare institutions must collaborate to strengthen clinical education, crucial for novice nurses' clinical adaptation. Prioritizing the improvement of nursing education quality and nurses' working conditions is essential. Continuous research and evaluation of the Clinical Nurse Educator Support Project is imperative to assess its impact and make necessary adjustments.