Factors Associated With Undergraduate Nursing Students' Academic and Clinical Performance: A Mixed-Methods Study

Frontiers in Medicine

article

Ensieh Fooladi¹  Md Nazmul Karim²  Sheila Vance³  Lorraine Walker¹  Maya Ebrahimi Zanjani¹  Dragan Ilic²  Gabrielle Brand¹ 

[1] Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash School of Nursing and Midwifery ,(MNM), Monash University;Medical Education and Research Quality Unit ,(MERQ), School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University;Student Academic Support Unit ,(SASU), Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences ,(FMNHS) Education Portfolio, Monash University;Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education ,(MCSHE), Monash University

关键词: nursing education;    clinical performance;    academic performance;    bachelor of nursing students;    support structures;    educator qualities;    interactive curriculum;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2022.793591

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Background There is conflicting and limited information regarding factors that influence undergraduate nursing students' academic and clinical performance prior to entry to practice. Objective To identify factors influencing the academic and clinical performance of undergraduate nursing students throughout the course. Design Mixed methods study utilizing a retrospective cohort and a qualitative study. Setting Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Participants Longitudinal existing data of nursing undergraduate students who commenced in 2017 ( n = 176) and 2018 ( n = 76), and two focus groups with final year nursing students were analyzed. Methods Retrospective students' records were used to determine the students' academic and clinical performance using the weighted average mark (WAM) of the theoretical and clinical components of the curriculum, separately. The WAM considered the year level of each unit and was scored out of 100. Multivariate linear regression was used to determine predictor factors of academic and clinical performance. Variables include entry cohort (with no previous nursing qualification vs. diploma of nursing), admission category (domestic vs. international), campus (metropolitan vs. outer metropolitan), and secondary school (year 12) results. Two focus group discussions were conducted and thematically analyzed. Results More than two-thirds of the students were aged 18–20 years and mainly female. Almost 20% of the participants were international students. Students with higher secondary school (year 12) results and studying at the outer metropolitan campus achieved a higher academic performance while international students had significantly lower academic performance compared to domestic students. Students with a previous diploma of enrolled nursing and international students had lower clinical performance. Students identified that a comprehensive orientation, interactive curriculum, formal and informal support structure, and educator qualities influenced their academic and/or clinical performance. Conclusions A supportive educational environment with an interactive curriculum may enhance students' academic and clinical performance and readiness for practice. Furthermore, targeted interventions for international students, those with lower secondary school (year 12) results, and those with a former diploma of nursing may be required to increase academic and clinical performance.

【 授权许可】

CC BY