Nursing Students' Perceptions of Interpersonal Relationships with Clinical Instructors

This descriptive study used surveys and open-ended follow-up interviews to determine the status of interpersonal relationships between nursing students and clinical instructors. One hundred seventy-nine junior and senior nursing students at three NLN accredited schools of nursing in the southeastern United States participated in the study. Students responded to a survey instrument developed by the researcher. Respondents were asked to indicate the degree of agreement with 23 statements about clinical instructors' interpersonal characteristics. Following the survey, the researcher conducted 13 follow-up interviews which encouraged students to elaborate on their interpersonal relationships with their clinical instructors. Survey and interview results were analyzed for consistency and disagreement.