Abstract:
Background
Nursing and midwifery students need to learn theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
Students are satisfied with a clinical education program when the environment is conducive to
acquiring the knowledge, skills and professional attitude essential for their career.
Objective
To assess the level of satisfaction with the clinical learning environment among nursing and
midwifery students at the University of Rwanda.
Methods
A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to assess 280 undergraduate nursing and
midwifery students. The study used the instrument entitled, the ‘Clinical Learning Environment
Supervision and Nurse Teacher Tool’ (CLES+T). Data analysis used descriptive statistics.
Results
The majority of participants were highly satisfied with the clinical learning environment (58%),
ward atmosphere (54%), the leadership of ward manager (58%) and supervisory relationship (62%).
Chi-square results showed a significant association between class level (p=0.001) and last clinical
placement (p=0.000). Some students (7%) were dissatisfied with the supervisory relationship.
Conclusion
Most nursing and midwifery students were satisfied with the clinical learning environment.
However, the reported levels of dissatisfaction showed that improvements are needed to
attain a quality education and meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Four: to ensure
inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
