The role of perceived stress and social support in nursing students’ satisfaction with their initial clinical placement: A cross-sectional study

Aim: To explore: a) students’ perceived stress, social support and satisfaction with their initial clinical placement; and b) identify the relationship between perceived stress, social support and student's satisfaction with their initial clinical placement. Background: Clinical placements are a central element in shaping future nursing professionals. Students’ satisfaction with clinical placements influences their learning outcomes and intention to continue their studies. Students experience stress from various sources during their clinical placements and social support has been found to moderate their stress. However, there is a paucity of studies addressing the associations between perceived stress, social support and satisfaction with the initial clinical placement. Design: Quantitative cross-sectional study. Methods: Participants included 165s-year nursing students enrolled in the bachelor's program at a central university in Israel during their initial clinical placement. Data were collected between December 2022 and February 2023 using an online questionnaire that contained four parts: personal details, perceived social support, perceived stress and satisfaction with clinical placement. Results: Students’ perceived stress was found to be negatively correlated to satisfaction with their clinical instructor (r = -0.47, p < 0.001) and with their clinical placement (r = -0.47, p < 0.001). Positive associations were found between satisfaction with the clinical placement and satisfaction with the clinical instructor (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). Significant differences were found in perceived stress and social support according to sociodemographic characteristics. Students perceived stress, social support from family and friends and satisfaction with their clinical instructor explained 54% of their satisfaction with their initial clinical placements. Conclusions: Clinical instructors and nurse educators are central to students’ initial clinical experience. It is recommended that they assess students’ perceived stress in the clinical environment, integrate stress reduction strategies into the curriculum and encourage students to turn to various sources for social support. These can promote students’ satisfaction and success in their studies.