This study examined the effectiveness of the clinical teaching associate (CTA) model to improve clinical learning outcomes in nursing students. Students were randomly allocated to either the CTA (n = 28) or traditional training group (n = 32), and their clinical knowledge, skills, and satisfaction with the learning experience were assessed and compared. The results showed that the CTA model was equally effective in improving clinical knowledge, skills, and satisfaction of nursing students.

Background Nursing in psychiatric wards is considered a highly stressful career due to the type of patients and the problem of communicating with them. Finding appropriate solutions to overcome this stress can improve the general health of nurses and improve their quality of work. The aim was to investigate the impact of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on the perceived stress (PS) and psychological flexibility (PF) of nurses in psychiatric wards. Methods A total of 70 nurses of Razi Psychiatric Center of Tehran were randomly selected and divided into two experimental and control groups of 35. In addition to routine interventions, the experimental group was provided with eight 2-h sessions of ACT training, whereas the control group only received routine interventions. Prior to the intervention sessions and a month after the last session, demographic information, PS scale, and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (2nd Edition) were completed in both groups. Results There was a significant difference regarding the PS level (P = 0.002) and PF (P = 0.001) in the control and experimental groups; the experimental group showed lower PS and higher PF. Conclusions ACT can lead to reduced PS and improved PF, which can be considered as a solution to empower nurses working in psychiatric wards. Trial registration This was registered in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) (clinical trial code: IRCT20180506039557N1. Registered 2018-10-31. Retrospectively registered, https://en.irct.ir/trial/31040

Background: Clinical education environment safety and security plays an important role in the learning of nursing students. Various studies and authors' experiences show that there is a lack of learning in nursing students in the arena. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of providing clinical safety and security on nursing students' learning. Method:The research sample in this qualitative research consisted of 12 internship nursing students, 3 instructors and 4 nurses in one of the hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Educational intervention was conducted to empower the instructors in the areas of communication, educational strategies and physical environment reform by holding 3 workshops. After a semester, data was collected on nursing students' learning by semi-structured interview and field note. The content analysis method with a conventional approach was used to data analysis. Results:The results revealed one main theme consisting of "spontaneous learning" and three sub themes including "learning nursing care", "the motivation for learning nursing care", and "effective interaction". Conclusion:The main reason for spontaneous learning has been to improve psychological climate of the clinical environment (wards) by instructors. Acceptance of the student in the ward as a member of the care team and providing effective feedback were the most important factor in improving the psychological climate of the ward. This led to a motivation for care and spontaneous learning in students.