SATISFACTION LEVEL OF UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS WITH THEIR CLINICAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN BAHAWALPUR, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Background: Clinical experience is essential to nursing education. Nursing institutions aim to provide high-quality clinical experiences in supportive learning environments. The quality of these experiences reflects the overall strength of the curriculum. Therefore, examining students' clinical learning experiences is crucial for preparing competent nurses. Objective: This study assessed undergraduate nursing students' satisfaction with clinical learning experiences at both government and private nursing colleges.

Materials and Methods: The study used a descriptive design. Quantitative data were collected from second-, third-, and fourth-year students using a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed in SPSS (version 25) using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics, including Chi-square tests, independent t-tests, and ANOVA.

Results: Students at government sites reported significantly higher clinical learning experience scores (M = 63.60, SD = 5.55) than those at private sites (M = 60.36, SD = 5.25), t(313) = 4.95, p < .001, d = 0.59. The Mann–Whitney test confirmed this finding.

Conclusion: Students were generally satisfied with their clinical learning experiences. Nevertheless, satisfaction levels varied by college type and year of study.