Relationship Between Clinical Competence of Undergraduate Nursing Students and Their Understanding of Children.

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between clinical competence of undergraduate nursing students and their understanding of children. Study methods consisted of a questionnaire survey that used scales developed to measure nursing students' clinical competence and understanding of children. The study was conducted with the approval of the ethics committee of Nara Medical University. Two hundred and fifty-seven nursing students participated in this survey, and of these, two hundred and thirty-three were subject to analysis. Of the nursing students surveyed, 183 (79%) reported having experience with children, and there was no significant difference in experience with children between students in different years of study.Nursing students' experience with children involved playing with them, helping them with learning or playing sports, and raising them. The children they had experience with were pre-school and school-aged children. The study found a correlation between the nursing students' understanding of children and clinical competence. In addition, there was a significant relationship between nursing students' experience with children and their understanding of children. There was no significant difference in third-year students' understanding of children as compared to that of fourth-year students, who had completed practical training. There was,however, a significant difference in clinical competence between these two groups. These results indicate that nursing students' understanding of children is connected to their clinical competence, and that practical nursing training is necessary to increase the clinical competence of nursing students. In addition, educational intervention that deepens nursing students' understanding of sick children is important to improving clinical competence.