Barriers to clinical education: Student nurse's Experiences

Clinical education is an important part of nursing education and assessing the threatening factors in this process is essential based on nursing student's real experiences. The current study was conducted to determine these barriers. Using phenomenological approach, participants were drawn from Esfahan Nursing and Midwifery College. Purposive sample of 12 nursing students were interviewed in-depth. Colaizzi’s analysis method guided the essential activities of the researchers. The reliability and validity of the present study were grounded on the four items (factual value, applicability, consistency and neutrality) suggested by Guba and Lincoln. Three major themes and related sub-themes were identified. These were: 1) conflict, 2) tension, 3) not direct experience. Findings of the research show that under some conditions the clinical teaching- learning process has been challenged. Inadequacy of situations and opportunities for experiencing some types of nursing skills results in student's sense of incompetency and raises conflict in their interactions which develops tension and ultimately exerts negative impacts on clinical teaching-learning process. Educating communication and stress management skills to nursing students have been suggested in this case.