Abstract
Utilization of clinical instructors has always been vital to support academic achievement of nursing students. Hiring full time nursing faculty is challenging for a multitude of reasons and most faculty are stretched thin. According to Ross, Dunker, Duprey, Parson, & Humphries (2022), it is estimated that 75,000 qualified nursing students are denied admission annually due to a shortage of nurse faculty and clinical sites. In the last year, one West Texas nursing program had a decrease in nursing faculty and relied heavily on clinical instructors. Although clinical instructors are required to hold a master’s degree in nursing, most are not specialized in education (Texas Board of Nursing, 2022). Effective clinical instructors are essential for meeting clinical outcomes (Soroush, Andaieshgar, Vahdat, & Khatony, 2021). In a survey conducted amongst current clinical nursing instructors, 66% reported feelings of inadequacy in role confidence. One clinical instructor explained she was unsure what to ask students to properly evaluate achievement of clinical objectives. Another clinical instructor reported he was unsure of the clinical objectives. Academics and practice must complement each other to establish a good learning environment and is dependent on the knowledge of both clinical staff and nurse educators (Phuma-Ngaiyaye, Bvumbwe, & Chipeta, 2017). While collaboration among academics and practice partners has been successful in this West Texas community, clinical instructors receive little to no training to prepare them to serve in an instructor role thus increasing the theory-practice gap (Phuma-Ngaiyaye, Bvumbwe, & Chipeta). According to Knowles (2020), orientation to the clinical faculty role can help bridge knowledge gaps for clinical nursing faculty. Through grant fund support, a clinical instructor preparation program was purchased for clinical instructors to complete. The self-paced online program prepares clinical instructors for teaching in the clinical setting. It includes two tracks with a total of twenty hours of instruction. Prior to starting the program, IRB approval was received to collect and analyze data related to self-perceived role confidence among participants. Eight clinical instructors agreed to participate in the study. Using a descriptive design, a ten-question survey was distributed to each participant before and after the online program was completed. A two-tailed test revealed statistical significance indicating clinical instructors had a significant increase in self-perceived role confidence. In addition, turnover among clinical instructors decreased.
Notes
References: Knowles, S. (2020). Initiation of a mentoring program: Mentoring invisible nurse faculty. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 15(3), 190-194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln. 2020.02.001
Phuma-Ngaiyaye, E., Bvumbwe, T., & Chipeta, M.C. (2017). Using preceptors to improve nursing students’ clinical learning outcomes: A Malawaian students’ perspective. International Journal of Nursing Science, 4(2), 164-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.ijnss.2017.03.001
Ross, J.G., Dunker, K.S., Duprey, M.D., Parson, T., & Humphries, L. (2022, Month). The use of simulation for clinical nursing faculty orientation: A multisite study. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 63, 23-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.11.001
Soroush, A., Andaieshgar, B., Vahdat, A., Khatony, A. (2021). The characterstics of an effective clinical instructor from the perspective of nursing students: A qualitative descriptive study in Iran. BMC Nursing, 20(36). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00556-9
Texas Board of Nursing. (2022). Clinical learning experiences. https://www.bon.texas.gov/pdfs/education_pdfs/education_nursing_guidelines/3.8Clinical_Learning_Experiences/3-8-6-a.pdf
Sigma Membership
Iota Mu
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Clinical Education, Professional Competence, Teaching, Clinical Instructors, Clinical Instructor Role
Recommended Citation
Gonzales, Minerva, "Supporting Clinical Instructor Confidence Through Online Education Program Training" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 50.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/50
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-02-18
Supporting Clinical Instructor Confidence Through Online Education Program Training
Washington, DC, USA
Utilization of clinical instructors has always been vital to support academic achievement of nursing students. Hiring full time nursing faculty is challenging for a multitude of reasons and most faculty are stretched thin. According to Ross, Dunker, Duprey, Parson, & Humphries (2022), it is estimated that 75,000 qualified nursing students are denied admission annually due to a shortage of nurse faculty and clinical sites. In the last year, one West Texas nursing program had a decrease in nursing faculty and relied heavily on clinical instructors. Although clinical instructors are required to hold a master’s degree in nursing, most are not specialized in education (Texas Board of Nursing, 2022). Effective clinical instructors are essential for meeting clinical outcomes (Soroush, Andaieshgar, Vahdat, & Khatony, 2021). In a survey conducted amongst current clinical nursing instructors, 66% reported feelings of inadequacy in role confidence. One clinical instructor explained she was unsure what to ask students to properly evaluate achievement of clinical objectives. Another clinical instructor reported he was unsure of the clinical objectives. Academics and practice must complement each other to establish a good learning environment and is dependent on the knowledge of both clinical staff and nurse educators (Phuma-Ngaiyaye, Bvumbwe, & Chipeta, 2017). While collaboration among academics and practice partners has been successful in this West Texas community, clinical instructors receive little to no training to prepare them to serve in an instructor role thus increasing the theory-practice gap (Phuma-Ngaiyaye, Bvumbwe, & Chipeta). According to Knowles (2020), orientation to the clinical faculty role can help bridge knowledge gaps for clinical nursing faculty. Through grant fund support, a clinical instructor preparation program was purchased for clinical instructors to complete. The self-paced online program prepares clinical instructors for teaching in the clinical setting. It includes two tracks with a total of twenty hours of instruction. Prior to starting the program, IRB approval was received to collect and analyze data related to self-perceived role confidence among participants. Eight clinical instructors agreed to participate in the study. Using a descriptive design, a ten-question survey was distributed to each participant before and after the online program was completed. A two-tailed test revealed statistical significance indicating clinical instructors had a significant increase in self-perceived role confidence. In addition, turnover among clinical instructors decreased.
Description
Clinical instructors are often hired by nursing programs due to their clinical expertise. However, most are not trained to function in this role, leading to a lack of confidence. Providing online educational training can improve self-perceived role confidence and reduce turnover, ultimately supporting the educational experience for nursing students.