title: Academic training and clinical placement problems to achieve nursing competency.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High quality of care is one of the requirements of nursing which depends on the nursing competency. In this connection, the aim of this research was to determine the problems related to the academic training (nursing' educational program) and clinical practice to achieve competency from the viewpoint of nurses, faculty members, and nursing students.
  
  
  METHODS
  the study was an analytical cross-sectional one. The sample consisted of the academic staff, the third and the fourth year nursing students and nurses in practice. The instrument of the study was a two-part researcher-made questionnaire with 22 questions in the theoretical- clinical realm to assess  problems related to the theoretical and clinical teaching in nursing, and 23 questions to assess the clinical functions. The questionnaire was validated in terms of both face and content validity. Its reliability, using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, was 0.72 in the theoretical-clinical and 0.73 in the clinical realm. Both descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze the data, using SPSS software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of this study indicated that from the participants' viewpoints, the most important problems in the academic education for nursea to acquire competency were as follows: lack of academic research the clinical period (88.9%), no application of theoretical aspects of the nursing process in practice (85.6%), insufficient knowledgeable and professional educators (81.1%), the use of traditional routine-oriented methods on the wards (75.6%); also insufficient time for performance based on knowledge in relation to  the nurse's workload (86.5%), weakness and usefulness of scientific function encouragement systems in clinic (85.2%), and learnt theoretical subjects not coming into practice in clinical fields after graduation (75.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Efforts to reduce the gap between the theoretical and practical (clinical function) knowledge in educational and work environment are required to improve the training of qualified nurses.
authors.affiliation: Research Student Committee, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran;
authors.forename: Narjes
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rahmati Sharghi
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Faculty of Public Health, Social Determinants of Health Research Centre, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran;
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alami
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Social Determinants of Health Research Centre, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran;
authors.forename: Shahla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khosravan
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran;
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Mansoorian
authors.affiliation: Students' affairs Office, Cultural and students' affairs Deputy, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ekrami
keywords: Academic training; Achieve; Clinical; Competency