Association between teaching days of clinical nurse instructors and student-perceived practicum quality in adult nursing at a university hospital: A cross-sectional study

Clinical nurse instructors (CNIs) play a crucial role in integrating theory with clinical practice in nursing education; however, the impact of CNIs' instructional time on the quality of clinical practicums remains unclear. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association between nursing students' perceptions of clinical practicum quality and the number of CNI instruction days in Japan. Participants included 60 third-year nursing students and 4 CNIs from two hospital wards. Following the completion of the practicum, students completed the "Student Evaluation Scale for the Teaching-Learning Process in Nursing Practicum (SESTLP-NP)," whereas CNIs reported their instruction days during the practicum. Logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between CNI instruction days and total SESTLP-NP scores (odds ratio [OR]: 29.39; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.46-351.01). Key SESTLP-NP subscales associated with CNI instruction days included "CNI-Student Interaction (OR: 4.03; 95% CI: 1.59-10.18)," "use of clinical practicum records (OR: 2.58; 95% CI: 1.23-6.47)," and "Student-human resources relationship (OR: 3.07; 95% CI: 1.29-7.31)." The findings suggest that the more days a CNI provided instruction, the more likely students were to be satisfied with their practicum experience. Nursing managers should consider adjusting shift schedules to maximize CNI availability and instructional time during the practicum.