The Barriers and Challenges of Applying New Strategies in the Clinical Evaluation of Nursing Students from the Viewpoints of Clinical Teachers

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have emphasized the use of new approaches in clinical evaluation. However, there are some challenges and barriers to applying these new approaches. The aim of the present study was to investigate the barriers and challenges of applying new strategies in the clinical evaluation of nursing students from the viewpoints of clinical teachers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 151 clinical teachers. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire was validated using library references and a variety of texts, as well as thorough consulting with 15 clinical teachers. The questionnaire's reliability was approved with a Cronbach's alpha of 78%. Data analysis was conducted using Pearson's correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and descriptive statistics in SPSS software. RESULTS: The highest score was related to the “students and clinical environment” domain [24.05 (8.10)], and the lowest to the “facilities” domain [13.31 (1.50)]. One-way ANOVA results showed a significant relationship between the mean scores of academic degree and the two domains of “tests” (F = 9.66, p < 0.001) and “facilities” (F = 8.26, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of a new approach for evaluating clinical training requires infrastructure and overcoming executive obstacles. Educating students and clinical teachers on new evaluation methods requires their familiarity with the implementation process as well as encouragement and support by their educational institution and administrators.