Undergraduate nursing students' perspectives on and experiences with clinical practice preparedness: a descriptive qualitative study

Undergraduate curricula are designed to prepare nursing students for CP courses so that they can demonstrate their knowledge and skills in supportive and supervised learning environments while students. This is particularly important today, given the ever-increasing knowledge in health sciences and the evolving complexity of healthcare environments. However, anecdotal evidence indicates nursing students feel unprepared for CP, and the literature surrounding this phenomenon remains limited. This study, guided by self-efficacy theory, aimed to explore and describe undergraduate nursing students' (UNS) perspectives on and experiences with clinical practice (CP) preparedness (CPP). Following institutional ethical approval, twenty UNS enrolled in years three and four of the undergraduate nursing program participated in semi-structured, video-recorded virtual interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze narrative data. The findings described the participants' shared views on CPP. Three themes (or types) of preparedness were found: psychological, cognitive, and physical. Two additional themes were found: CP environment and CP sources (including relationships, preclinical learning, and lived experiences). The findings of this study offer novel insight into UNS' views on CPP and contribute to the limited literature on this phenomenon. These insights may help nurse educators facilitate UNS' sense of preparedness and, in turn, success in their clinical practice courses by ensuring adequate support and structure. This guidance will allow the student to focus on attaining course objectives and entry-level competencies. ; May 2024