Clinical experience of omani undergraduate nursing students: Qualitative study

Background: Commencing clinical practice is a main milestone in the educational journey of undergraduate nursing students as it indicates the beginning of their professional life. The clinical training experience is frequently described as stressful and challenging for nursing students.Objective: s: This study was conducted mainly to examine, explore and interpret nursing students' perceptions of the challenges they faced as nursing students during their clinical experience.Setting: College of Nursing at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. Participants: A total of 32 undergraduates nursing students who were enrolled in the nursing program and had finished at least one clinical course from their study plan.Method: Data were collected using focus group discussions. A total of 32 participants were recruited and six focus groups were conducted. Data was transcribed and it was analyzed using thematic analysis.Result: Two main themes were identified, and under each theme, several subthemes were merged. The two main themes are: challenges that hindered self-directed learning, which included instructor approach and nurse approach, and challenges that hindered experiential learning, which included theory-practice gap, insufficient practice, lack of confidence and evaluation methods. Conclusi: on: This study provided insights into the challenges that hindered the effectiveness of clinical nursing education. Several recommendations were proposed to maximize the benefits of clinical practice and to create less stressful environments.