Sudanese Nursing Students’ Satisfaction Level and Clinical Learning Environment: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The clinical learning environment is crucial for student nurses’ skill acquisition and satisfaction in clinical settings. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between Sudanese student nurses’ satisfaction with clinical placements and the clinical learning environment. The study focused on the impact of students’ perceptions of their learning environment on their satisfaction levels.
Methods: The study was an analytical cross-sectional study that recruited 204 Sudanese student nurses. Participants completed a questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic information, satisfaction with clinical assignments, and the Clinical Learning Environment Scale (CLES). Statistical analyses included descriptive and bivariate analyses, the Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman correlation, and ordinal logistic regression analysis.
Results: The mean satisfaction score was 5.3, with no significant difference between male and female participants. The hospital manager’s leadership style had the highest score among the CLES dimensions, while the supervisory relationship had the lowest score. The study found a significant positive correlation between satisfaction level, overall CLES score, and all CLES dimensions. The regression analysis showed that the supervisory relationship and the pedagogical atmosphere in the hospital were the most significant predictors of satisfaction level, while the overall score had the weakest relationship with the outcome variable.
Conclusion: Assessing the clinical learning environment is essential to improving student learning outcomes and ensuring a positive educational experience for student nurses. The study recommends paying attention to dimensions with lower scores, such as the supervisory relationship, while maintaining and enhancing dimensions with higher scores, such as the hospital manager’s leadership style.