title: Nursing students' perceptions of anxiety-producing situations in the clinical setting.
abstract: Aspects of nursing students' clinical experiences are anxiety provoking. High anxiety may contribute to decreased learning. The purpose of this study was to identify potentially anxiety-producing clinical experiences for student nurses. Thirty-nine junior and 53 senior nursing students from a BS degree program completed the "Clinical Experience Assessment Form," a 16-item Likert scale. The items included communication and procedural aspects of patient care, interpersonal relationships with healthcare providers, and interactions with faculty. An open-ended question asked students to identify the most anxiety-producing aspects of their clinical practice. The students expressed the highest anxiety for the initial clinical experience on a unit and the fear of making mistakes. Faculty evaluation and observation were also anxiety-producing. The results of the student t-test indicated that juniors were significantly higher in their expression of anxiety was that students's anxiety was increased in the clinical setting by their perceptions of nonsupportive faculty.
authors.affiliation: Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, Ind.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kleehammer
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Keck
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005181:Faculty, Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009732:Nursing Care; D010465:Perception; D010820:Physicians; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*