Nursing and Midwifery Students' Satisfaction with Their Clinical Rotation Experience: The Role of the Clinical Learning Environment

BACKGROUND: The clinical learning environment and clinical rotation experience of students are integral to nursing curriculum and are a crucial component of nursing education which helps transform theoretical knowledge to clinical practical skills. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at assessing the role of the clinical learning environment on undergraduate nursing and midwifery students' satisfaction with their clinical rotation experience. METHOD: The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Data was collected from a sample of 240 undergraduate nursing and midwifery students of the University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana, using a structured questionnaire. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Cape Coast Ethics Review Board. Descriptive analysis was displayed as frequencies and percentages. Inferentially, Fisher's exact test, linear regression, and Spearman's correlation tests were used to test for and quantify associations between independent and dependent variables at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The level of students' satisfaction with both clinical rotation experience and the clinical learning environment was high (65.6% and 63.5%, respectively). A statistically significant association of the students' satisfaction with their clinical rotation experience was found. There was a statistically significant relationship between the clinical learning environment (χ(2) (9, N = 224) = 80.665, p < 0.001), pedagogical atmosphere in the clinical area (r(s) = 0.379, p < 0.001), the leadership style of the ward manager (r(s) = 0.340, p < 0.001), the premises of nursing in the ward environment (r(s) = 0.501, p < 0.001), and the students' satisfaction with their clinical rotation experience. CONCLUSION: These findings provide nurse educators and clinicians with meaningful understanding about areas to prioritise when planning clinical learning opportunities in such a way that skills learning and practice of nursing skills are successful and satisfactory for undergraduate student nurses and midwives.