Iranian nursing students' preparedness for clinical training: A qualitative study

• Nursing students are not prepared for internship in clinical setting.
• Clinical educators would better strive for heeding students' level of preparedness in clinical setting.
• Clinical educators would better strive for heeding to what extent students accept their profession.

SummaryBackgroundClinical training plays a fundamental role in nursing students' acquisition of professional capabilities. Students' preparedness for learning in clinical setting is one of the most important factors that determine the quality of clinical training. Different studies indicate the nursing students' unpreparedness for entering clinical environment.AimThe aim of this study was to explore Iranian nursing students' preparedness for clinical training.MethodThis research is a qualitative research using content analysis approach. The participants consisted of seventeen nursing students, three nursing educators and one nurse, selected through the purposive sampling method and questioned in semi-structured interviews. The acquired data was analyzed by qualitative content analysis approach.ResultsTwo main themes were captured in this study; including: 1) rejection of the profession and 2) fear and anxietyConclusionThe findings indicated that the nursing students are not psychologically prepared for internship in clinical settings. Therefore we recommend in the first place reducing students' fear and anxiety of facing the reality and preparing them for a better beginning through conducting workshops in retraining and practicing clinical skills along with a course of visiting the hospital for students' confrontation and familiarization with real environment immediately before entering into the clinical setting. In addition, after the students' entrance to the setting the clinical educators should strive to heed students' level of preparedness especially their psychological needs and condition including the extent to which they accept their profession.