The perceptions of undergraduate nursing students regarding the role of the clinical facilitator at a higher education institution in the Western Cape

Abstract

Clinical facilitation is essential in any experiential learning environment, to support and guide the student towards competence and confidence as an independent practitioner. The CF should be nurturing curiosity in the students by continuous stimulation, creating learning opportunities, providing mentorship, liaising and collaborating with stakeholders and continuously improving themselves to stay current in order to share appropriate up-to-date information with their students. The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of students regarding the role of the clinical facilitator (CF) in an undergraduate nursing programme at a higher education institution (HEI) in the Western Cape. The study was conducted in a School of Nursing at an HEI in the Western Cape, South Africa. A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study was carried out on undergraduate nursing students registered in the 2024 academic year. A stratified random sample of n=261 was obtained as the sampling strategy to complete the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Educator Scale (CLES+T) questionnaire that was used to collect the data. Data was captured directly into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 30 and analysed by means of descriptive analysis and later inferential statistical analysis was carried out to determine the strength of the correlation between the different variables. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the University of the Western Cape Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee. Participants of this study will be assured of confidentiality and anonymity, and the data will be locked away safely and stored for at least five years. The first objective set out for this study was to determine the perception of the students regarding the role of the CF as a nurse educator and a clinical leader. The key finding was that the respondents had a very high opinion of their CF and value their input during their learning journey. The next objective was to describe the perception of the students regarding the ability of the CF to create a pedagogical atmosphere. This was one of the lowest scoring domains in the study, which is of great concern. The last objective was to describe the factors that influence a positive student-facilitator relationship, the key finding being that respondents regarded their relationship with their CF as very important during their learning journey and treasured it.