Nursing students’ experience of academic learning in a Cambodian School of Nursing

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine nursing students’ satisfaction of their experiences of their academic program at a university nursing school in Cambodia. Positive experiences of educational programs have been linked to the increased development of a professional identity and beliefs around the chosen discipline. As nursing education and the nursing profession continues to undergo rapid development and change in Cambodia, it was seen that an evaluation of both the teaching quality and nursing students’ experience within a program of study was an important aspect of maintaining high quality nursing education programs. The study is a cross-sectional design using the Undergraduate Nursing Students` Academic Satisfaction Scale (UNSASS) in addition to demographic data. The UNSASS, with permission from the authors, underwent a cross-cultural adaptation for the Cambodian context. Analysis was undertaken using SPSS version 17.0. One hundred and seventy Associate Degree and Bachelor of Science in Nursing students were surveyed, including students in their middle and final years of study from both cohorts. The findings show that overall students felt positively about their education experience, felt safe to make mistakes in a supportive environment, and had positive relationships with the faculty and clinical preceptors. However, the large number of neutral responses may indicate a cultural hesitance in reporting any negative feedback.