Exploring the Challenges Experienced by Nursing Students at a Selected Medical Science College during their First Clinical Training: A Qualitative Study

Background: There remains a gap in research specifically on the challenges faced by nursing students in their clinical training in Saudi Arabia. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the challenges experienced by nursing students during their first training in various clinical areas. Methods: This study employed a qualitative research design with a content analysis approach. Fourteen (14) nursing students from a medical science college in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, including open-ended questions on the challenges related to patient care, hospital staff, clinical instructors, hospital environment, and clinical requirements. Qualitative analysis with an inductive approach was used for data analysis. Results: The study identified five main themes regarding the challenges nursing students face during their clinical training: barriers to effective care, lack of support for learning, ineffective clinical teaching skills, facilities' impact on learning, and challenges in managing workload. Conclusion: Nursing colleges should adopt strategies focused on improving communication and time management skills among students. Programs for clinical instructors should be enhanced, emphasizing the ongoing evaluation and refinement of supervision and teaching methods. The development of preceptorship programs in collaboration with training hospitals could also optimize the use of resources and facilities.