Attitudes of Registered Nurses Towards Nursing Students in Clinical Settings at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
Main Article Content
Abstract
Clinical exposure is fundamental to nursing education, offering student nurses critical opportunities for skill acquisition, professional socialization, and practical application of theoretical knowledge. This study examines the attitudes of registered nurses toward nursing students during clinical placements at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. Adopting a descriptive cross-sectional design, data were collected from 240 registered nurses across eight clinical wards using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate attitude patterns and associated influencing factors. The results indicate that a majority of registered nurses exhibited positive attitudes, characterized by a willingness to mentor, supervise, and collaborate with nursing students. However, certain challenges were identified, including perceived increases in workload, student absenteeism, and concerns about student adherence to professional and ethical standards. Key determinants of nurse attitudes included the perceived clinical competence, communication ability, and adherence to professional dress codes among students. The study underscores the need for structured mentorship programs, regular workshops on ethical conduct, and more clearly defined internship frameworks to strengthen the clinical learning environment. Enhancing nurse-student interactions in clinical settings is essential for improving the quality of nursing education and ensuring the readiness of future nursing professionals for practice.

Citation Metrics:
Downloads
Article Details

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
References
Ajagbe, A. M., Sholanke, A. B., Isiavwe, D. T., & Oke, A. O. (2014). Qualitative inquiry for social sciences, 8(3), 279–291.
Atack, L., Comacu, M., Kenny, R., LaBelle, N., & Miller, D. (2000). Student and staff relationships in clinical practice: Impact on learning. Journal of Nursing Education, 39(9), 387–392.
Barros, S., & Elia, L. (2009). Attitudes and behaviors of nursing students towards the elderly. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP, 43(4), 897–904.
Bella, S., Tova, H., & Yifaat, F. (2020). Anxiety and coping strategies among nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashkelon Academic College, Israel.
Chuan, O. L., & Barnett, T. (2012). Student, tutor and staff nurse perceptions of the clinical learning environment. Nurse Education in Practice, 12(4), 192–197.
Clements, A. J., Kinman, G., Leggetter, S., Teoh, K., & Guppy, A. (2016). Exploring commitment, professional identity, and support for student nurses. Nurse Education in Practice, 16(1), 20–26.
Department of Nursing Science Handbook. (2019). Strategies for implementing the B.N. Science Programme. Calabar: Unical Printing Press.
Denise, H. (2011). Evaluation of clinical performance of nursing graduates. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 1(1), 1–7.
Dunn, S. V., & Hansford, B. (1997). Undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of their clinical learning environment. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25(6), 1299–1306.
Elcigil, A., & Sari, H. Y. (2008). Students’ opinions about the expectations of effective nursing clinical mentors. Contemporary Nurse, 27(1), 45–54.
Garneau, A. B. (2016). Critical reflection in cultural competence development: A framework for undergraduate nursing education. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(3), 125–132.
Gemma, H. (2019). The need to reduce the number of clinical hours in nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 79, 121–123.
McLeod, S. (2019). What is a target population in research? Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/target-population.html
Middleton, L., Curran, V., Hall, P., & Asghari, S. (2019). Validity and reliability in mixed methods: A systematic review of methods. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18, 1609406919847147.
Matsumura, Y., Hamaguchi, T., Ura, T., Muro, K., Yamada, Y., Shimada, Y., & Watanabe, N. (2004). Phase I clinical trial and pharmacokinetic evaluation of NK911, a micelle-encapsulated doxorubicin. British Journal of Cancer, 91(10), 1775–1781.
Negarandeh, R. (2012). Communication skills of senior nursing students in Iran. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 17(1), 71–75.
Obi, I. (2014). Perception and attitudes of clinical nurses at Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki towards university-based nursing education in Nigeria. Journal of Nursing and Health Science, 3(1), 14–22.
Okechukwu, W. (2017). Influence of training and development on job satisfaction among staff of the School of Technology Management and Logistics. Journal of Technology Management and Business, 4(1), 1–10.
Olasehinde-Williams, F. A. O., Abdullah, I. O. E., & Owolabi, H. O. (2003). The relationship between background variables and cheating tendencies among students of a federal university in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Educational Foundations, 6(1), 68–79.
Olubiyi, K. (2009). A case for continuing education among Nigerian nurses. African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 11(2), 87–92.
Parvin, N., Aliakbari, F., Rafiee Vardanjani, L., Dadkhah, N., & Jouybari, M. (2016). Nurses’ attitude towards attendance of nursing students in the clinical setting in Shahrekord in 2015. Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences, 3(4), 81–86.
Porter, C., & Willing, L. (2001). Professional and caring interactions between students and staff nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 35(1), 27–35.
Richardson, H., Gilmartin, M. J., & Fulmer, T. (2012). Shifting the clinical teaching paradigm in undergraduate nursing education to address the nursing faculty shortage. Journal of Nursing Education, 51(4), 226–231.
Shields, P. M., Rangarajan, N., & Casula, M. (2019). It is a working hypothesis: Search for truth in a post-truth world. University of Texas.
Slaughter-Smith, C., Helms, J. E., & Burris, R. (2012). Nursing staff perceptions of student contributions in clinical settings. Journal of Nursing Education, 51(1), 54–57.
Uwah, D. F., & Iwo, G. A. (2011). Effectiveness of organic mulch on the productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) and weed growth. Journal of Animal and Plant Science, 21(3), 525–530.
Voung, H. Q., Marangoni, A., & Martin, D. (2018). Data collection strategies and their role in impact evaluation. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 21(3), 255–269.
White, R. (2001). Nurses’ attitudes toward continuing education. Nurse Education Today, 21(7), 570–579.














