Determinants of Nursing Students' Performance in Clinical Skills Laboratories

Background: Clinical skills laboratories play a crucial role in equipping nursing students with the practical competencies necessary for patient care. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the level of first-year nursing students’ clinical performance in clinical skills laboratories and explore the related factors. Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was employed in five skill labs at the Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University. Convenience sampling composed of 250 students. Data were collected using the level of skills performance observational checklist and factors affecting Skill Lab Performance questionnaires during the second semester from February 2024 until May 2024. Results: The study revealed that most of the students were clinically competent, their scores above a satisfactory level (75%). The linear regression showed that high clinical performance of students was associated with student-related factors that included effective communication with teammates, eagerness to learn, and unauthorized absence from clinical. The assessment and clinical instructor-related factors, including encouraging students, spending enough time with students, skill lab is prepared, assessing methods that focus on the learning domain, introducing students to the assessment, and orienting students with assessment methods, with a significant P value at <0.005. Conclusion: In order to enhance the learning environment and optimize learn outcomes, the mentioned factors should be addressed by instructors.