Hoffman, Catherine2024-10-072024-10-072024https://hdl.handle.net/10566/16260Background: In order for a student to be clinically competent in a skill, various resources and preparation are needed. Opportunities should be available for student nurses to intentionally experience meaningful encounters that will broaden their knowledge and skills. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of nursing students’ regarding factors influencing their learning in a clinical skills laboratory at a School of Nursing in the Western Cape Province. Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative research approach, utilising an exploratory and descriptive research design. The population of interest for this research study was nursing students registered for a four-year Baccalaureate Degree at a School of Nursing in the Western Cape Province. The population included all registered nursing students from the first to the fourth year of study. Participants were identified through purposive sampling based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The researcher collected the data through ten focus group interviews across all four-year levels and analysed the data using the six steps of Braun and Clarke (2006). Ethics: Ethical approval to conduct the study was obtained from the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee before the commencement of data collection. Participants were informed that participation in the study was voluntary and they could withdraw from the study at any stage with no consequences to their studies. Findings and recommendations: The findings were linked to the framework for clinical skills learning environment of Haraldseid, Friberg and Aase (2015). The framework identified the physical, organisational, and psychosocial environmental factors that influence the learning process of nursing students in a clinical skills laboratory. The findings of this study indicate the need to implement interventions to improve certain aspects in the clinical skills laboratory to promote quality clinical learning for nursing students.en