THE EFFECT OF EMPLOYING CLINICAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATE MODEL ON CLINICAL LEARNING OF NURSING STUDENTS

Clinical teaching associate model enhances participation and collaboration
between health care workers and instructors. It is essential to resolve the existing problems of clinical
education such as low-level proficiency of nursing graduates in achieving essential competencies and
skills at the end of nursing education. On the other hand, the necessity of employing new methods of
education for promoting the quality of clinical education is obvious. This study was performed to
investigate the effects of clinical education associate model on nursing students' learning compared
with the present methods.
Materials & Methods: In a quasi-experimental study, 30 students of nursing school were selected
randomly. They were divided into two groups. The first group was taught by clinical education
associate model and the second one by the current method. After two weeks of learning, the students'
skill areas were evaluated using a questionnaire and checklist. The data were analyzed by SPSS
software using independent t-test, paired t, Fisher, and Chi square test.
Results: This study found differences between the case and control groups considering clinical skills
between satisfaction of clinical nurses’ about students learning and satisfaction of nursing students
from educators of both groups.
Conclusion: Students’ clinical learning increased during clinical teaching associate method. It is
recommended to increase students’ participation by applying active teaching methods providing
opportunity for better learning.