Students’ Perceptions Regarding Clinical Practice: A Quasi-Experimental Metaphor Study

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to use metaphors to reveal students’ perceptions of clinical practice and the change in their perceptions after starting practice. Methods: The study’s population consists of 98 students in the midwifery department of a health sciences faculty in Istanbul, and the sample consists of 86 students (87.75% of the population). The data of the study were obtained using the a student information form and the Clinical Practice Perception Form (CPPF) created by the authors. The CPPF asks the students to fill in the blanks for such phrases as “Clinical practice is like … because …”, “Lecturer/research assistant/mentor in the clinic is like … because ...”, “Healthcare team members in the clinic are like … because ...”, “Patients are like … because ...” before and after going into clinical practice. The study uses the descriptive analysis technique to analyze the completed metaphor statements. Results: The students were observed to compare the clinic to the “school” the most before and after the clinical practice. The clinic’s lecturer/ research assistant/mentor was most likened to a “mother” before going into practice; after entering practice, they were determined to mostly compared it to “light.” Before and after clinical practice, healthcare team members were most likened to “friends,” and patients were most likened to a “flower.” Conclusion: The midwifery students were observed to have positive perceptions about clinical practice before and after their first clinical practice. The study allowed students’ perceptions of clinical practice to be determined, as these constitute an important part of midwifery education . In this way, the study is thought to shed light on how to identify the deficiencies in clinical practice and how to arrange future training needs.

Keywords

• Clinical practice
• education
• teacher
• metaphor
• midwifery student

References

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