The Effect of Portfolios Training on Nursing Student's Clinical Competence

Nursing teaching planners know the “clinical trainings” as the essential part of nursing trainings. Results of researches have shown that quality of clinical trainings has been inappropriate and there has always been a gap between theory and clinic in nursing education. Recently, using of Portfolio has been mentioned as a new training tool being capable of participating in enhancing the nurses’ clinical competence; therefore, this study was done aiming to evaluate the impact of educational portfolio on the clinical competence of nursing students. In this half-experimental study, that contained pre test – intervention - post test, 31 nursing students were divided in two randomized groups as case group (15 persons) and control group (16 members). In addition, educational portfolio program was done under the researcher’s observation in the case group, and control group participated in their routine program. Data collecting was done by both individual information questionnaires and evaluating the clinical competence forms; data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. After accomplishing the program, mean scores of clinical competence in the case group increased to 70.30 from the previously gained 50.24 (P=0/002) while control group reached 42.34 from 40.53 (P=0/63) that was statistically meaningless. Based on the gained results, it was determined that educational portfolios had positive impact on enhancing clinical competence of nursing students.