Nursing Students' Experienced Ethical Problems in Clinical Practicum and Clinical Self-Regulated Learning Levels:A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

ABS TRACT During the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, clinical training, which is essential to nursing practice, has been largely delayed. The aim of this study is to identify the predictors of nursing students' experienced ethical problems in clinical practicum and self-regulated learning levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 306 nursing students studying in the third and fourth grades of 2 universities located in the east of Türkiye. The data were collected by using a Student Introduction Form, the Scale of Ethical Problems in Clinical Teaching in Nursing, and the Self-Regulated Learning Scale for Clinical Nursing Practices form. The independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA F test, Pearson correlation test, and multiple regression were used in the analysis of the data. It was determined that there was a positive and moderately significant relationship between the total mean score of the Scale of Ethical Problems in Clinical Teaching in Nursing and the Self-Regulated Learning Scale for Clinical Nursing Practices, total mean score (r=509, p<0.001). A regression model indicated that 4 predictors (clinical educator, health professionals, learning strategies, and self-regulated learning levels) explained 28% of the variance (R=0.516, Adjusted R2=0.284, F=13.255, p<0.001) in their ability to identify ethical problems in clinical practicum. In this study, it was determined that health professionals and self-regulated learning levels positively affected students' ability to identify ethical problems in the clinical practice setting. The level of clinical educator was found to negatively affected students' ability to identify ethical problems in the clinical practice setting.