ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to assess the attitudes and behaviors of nursing students in their clinical experiences in terms of nurse-patient interactions. It is a descriptive study that has been conducted in a School of Nursing from November to December 2013. A sample of 200 nursing students who have consented to participate in the study has been used. Caring Nurse –Patient Interaction scale (CNPI) and questionnaire complied formed by researchers are used as a means of data collecting. It is observed that there is a direct positive correlation between the CNPI scores and the attitudes and behaviors of nursing students. An analysis of the scores from the CNPI shows that total score for the importance is 337.63±23.18, for competency 293.41±34.99, for realism 290.85±42.11. When the scores from the CNPI converted to percentages it is observed that that among the attitudes and behaviors in clinical applications that are presented in CNPI the nursing students feel the importance level as %96, realism of application as %83 and the level of their own competence as %84. Nursing students who stay overnight at the hospital or accompany patients, and students who have clinical experiences in surgical clinics are seemed to be less susceptible to problems in their interactions with patients and they were observed to display more positive interaction skills. It is proposed that nursing programs should be improved as to provide the students with necessary skills to constructively and effectively interact with the patients.

Keywords: Care, behavior, nursing students, attitude