Nursing students' perceptions of the impact of clinical teachers on supporting the students' coping with stress during their first clinical practice: a quantitative study

Introduction: The learning environment plays an important role in the process whereby students obtain knowledge and skills. The success of a practical course and shaping of the personal competencies of students are dependent on the proper support of qualified teachers, mentors and educators. Aim of the research: To assess the perception of the teacher in supporting nursing students' coping with stress during their first clinical practice. Material and methods: The study included 262 nursing students after their first clinical practice. The research tools included: the authors' questionnaire and an inventory for measuring coping with stress (Mini COPE). The authors' questionnaire comprised questions concerning, among other things: the self-assessment of student preparation for classes, sources of stress, types of difficult situations and means of coping with such situations, as well as support provided by the teacher. Results: The support of a clinical teacher is effective at stimulating the process of devising active ways of coping with stress during practical learning. The results showed that students who felt safe in the presence of the teacher running the practical course tended to choose active coping strategies or strategies based on seeking emotional support. Conclusions: Mentoring programmes need to be implemented to strengthen students' coping skills, and decrease their clinical stress levels and perceived stress.