As a clinical instructor, I have seen firsthand how the clinical setting can be a stimulating learning environment for nursing students as well as a difficult one at times. My idea of the value of context, planning, and assistance in bridging the gap between theory and practice has been influenced by these experiences that might be advantageous and disadvantageous to student learning.
Students may see, feel, and do in the clinical setting, transforming abstract ideas and concepts into real clinical experiences. Students gain abilities that cannot be fully developed in simulation or classroom settings alone, such as prioritization, dynamic assessment, and quick response. They can handle, care for, and manage real patients with human emotions and responses. In the clinical area, students learn how to work as a member of a healthcare team in the clinical setting, which fosters professional socializing, collaborating, and communicating as a healthcare team member.
However, performance and learning might be hampered by a fear of criticism or failure in the clinical setting. Sometimes, I have observed that students may become overwhelmed by a high-stress clinical setting, particularly if they do not feel supported by their clinical instructor/preceptor. In clinical settings, unequal access to learning opportunities might result in confidence issues and skill disparities, specifically because we share the same ward with other nursing schools. Clinical staff attitudes have the power to either improve or detract from the educational process or learning outcomes/activities of the day. Some nursing procedures were limited to none in some of my areas during our shift, or the staff nurses had already performed them without giving the students the opportunity to observe.
Because of this, my responsibilities as a clinical teacher extend beyond supervision; I work to act as a mentor who helps transform difficult situations into teaching opportunities, a safe learning facilitator, and a buffer between the student and the clinical pressure. I can minimize the negative effects of clinical exposure while optimizing its positive effects by educating students, standing up for them, and reflecting with them.