The Relationship between Clinical Placement Duration and Students’ Satisfaction with the Quality of Supervision and Learning Environment: A Mediation Analysis.
Abstract Background: Multiple factors that influence the learning experience of nursing students while they are in clinical training have been identified. Nevertheless, there is no evidence on what is the optimum time a nursing student should remain in the different practice settings for achieving the required competencies nor how this duration of the placement may be influenced by other variables.The aim of the study was examine whether the relationship between the clinical placement duration and total satisfaction with clinical training is mediated by supervisory relationship and learning environment.Method: A mediation analysis was conducted using the data from a cross-sectional study conducted in 17 higher educational institutions from nine European countries with the CLES+T scale (n=1903 pre-registration nursing students). Besides, ANCOVA models were used to assess mean differences in total satisfaction by categories of supervision factors, clinical placement duration and participants’ characteristics.Results: A significant increase of total satisfaction was found as better learning environment participant’s perceived, as well as better was their satisfaction with their supervisor (both p<0.001). Students that considered the supervisor the most important person in practical training were significantly more satisfied as compared with those who considered the nurse teacher as the most important [mean 4.15 (0.89) vs 3.23 (1.16)]; p=0.001]. The satisfaction with the supervisor (IE= 0.101 [95% CI 0.016; 0.183]) and a good learning environment (IE= 0.088 [95% CI 0.003; 0.170]) mediated the relationship between clinical placement duration and total satisfaction perceived by the students.Conclusion: Nursing students with longer clinical placement duration were more satisfied with clinical training as a result of both their satisfaction with their supervisor and the good learning environment perceived. The optimal duration a nursing student should remain in the different practice settings to reach a balance between the achievement of fully competent nurses and the maximum level of satisfaction at the practicum ward should be around seven weeks. The role of nurse teachers and supervisors in contributing the acquisition of competences of nursing students needs to be clarified.