Nursing Students Perceptions of Effective Clinical Instructors Characteristics

Abstract

Clinical instructors have a very important role in the learning process of nursing students,especially in clinical areas such as hospitals. The purpose of this study was to identify nursingstudents’ perceptions of effective clinical instructors’ characteristics.This research was conducted at Universitas Advent Indonesia with a descriptive, correlationdesign. The sample used was 152 nursing students taken randomly. The instrument used wasthe Effective Clinical Instructor Characteristics Inventory (ECICI) consisting of 40 statements,which were grouped into three sections, as (1). Professional Competence with 20 statements,(2). Relationships with Students with 8 statements, and (3). Personal-attributes with (12)statements. Data collection was conducted from June to July 2019.Relation With Student’ as the most important characteristic of effective clinical instructors characteristics. The five highest-ranked from 40 statements were (1). Communicate effectively;breaks down content in a down-to-earth manner; (2). Friendly attitude; (3) Respect student asan individual; Open-minded, objective, non-judgmental; (4). Able to transfer knowledge andskills to students for safe practice; Be honest and direct with students, and (5). Demonstrateself-control & patience. The t-test results showed that there were differences in perceptionsbetween male and female students with a sig value of 0.046 (<0.05).It is hoped that the results of this study can provide input to staff and faculty in improving orenhancing the characteristics of effective clinical instructors. It is necessary to orient the newclinical instructor about the characteristics that need to be improved.