Development Strategies in Medical Education

Introduction: Evaluation of educational program, identification and adjustment of its detrimental factors to facilitate learning are among ethics of education. Clinical education stress is one of the detrimental factors. Therefore, this study aimed to determine clinical education stressors from the view point of midwifery students of Islamic Azad University, Kazerun branch.

Methods: This study was a descriptive - cross-sectional study. All qualified midwifery students to comprehensive exam in three consecutive years formed study population. All students participating in the comprehensive test session that completed the questionnaires (190) formed the study samples. Data were gathered by a researcher made questionnaire containing two parts of individual variables and 36 questions about stressor factors of clinical education in 6 areas based on five-point Likert scale. SPSS 20 as frequency distribution, mean, standard deviation and correlation were used for data analysis.

Results: Clinical stresses mean score of students was 2.82±0.62 out of 5. In view of students, the most important stressor area was educational environment (3.66±0.78) and the most important stressor factor was lack of cooperation of staff and services staff with students and differences in health care directives (4.1±1.26). The area of interpersonal relationships showed positive correlation with the three domains of unpleasant feelings, educational planning and humiliating experience.

Conclusion: Considering all of the most stressor factors of clinical education indicate that at the heart of all of them lies the lack of training support. Because trainer is not present at a particular time, the personnel transfer their offers to student. There is an increased workload of students and they have to do some works without complete supervision because we want not lose educational opportunities. This will lead to fear of mistakes and fear of being blamed. These factors together as well as the trainer notifications lead to feeling of improper relationship between trainer and student.