Evaluation of Nursing Students’ Experience of Clinical Placement in a Rural Setting Using CLES+T Scale

Background: Nursing student experiences in the clinical learning environment have been described in many countries but less is known about student nurses in rural settings. Aim: To explore undergraduate nursing students’ experience of clinical placement in a rural setting and identify factors that influence their experience. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with a convenience sample of 170 undergraduate nursing students in regional Victoria, Australia, who completed professional experience placements between January and June 2020. Following their placements, participants completed the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher (CLES+T) scale. Data were analysed using logistic regression models. Results: Completing clinical placements in medium to small rural towns or remote and very remote communities were associated with increased odds of high scores in the learning environment odds ratio (OR) 2.90, 95% CI, 1.32 to 6.37; P = 0.01 and the supervisory relationship domains (OR 3.16, 95% CI, 1.40 to 7.14; P = 0.01). Female gender (OR 3.38, 95% CI, 1.12 to 10.19; P = 0.03), supervision by staff other than an educator (OR 2.71, 95% CI, 1.16 to 6.33; P = 0.02) and increased frequency of ad hoc (extra) supervision with a buddy nurse without the nurse educator (OR 2.55, 95% CI, 1.07 to 4.75; P = 0.03) were associated with increased odds of high scores in the role of nurse educator domain. Conclusions: In this study, nursing students reported valuing their exposure to smaller and more remote communities, the learning environments within rural and remote healthcare facilities, and the relationships they developed with supervising nurses. The findings also suggest that some students perceived greater value in supervision provided by clinical staff who were not in formal nurse educator or nurse facilitator roles. Given the limitations of the study, these observations should be interpreted cautiously and may warrant further investigation in broader contexts.