Abstract
Background: Clinical adjustment is increasingly recognized as a key indicator of nursing students’ successful transition into clinical practice and has important implications for learning outcomes and professional development. Although clinical adjustment has received increasing attention in nursing education, little is known about its associated factors among nursing students in Vietnam.
Objectives: To assess clinical adjustment among third-year nursing students and examine factors associated with clinical adjustment during their first clinical placement.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 161 third-year nursing students at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University. Participants completed a structured questionnaire that assessed demographic, academic, and clinical learning characteristics, perceived social support, and clinical adjustment using the Clinical Adjustment Scale for Student Nurses (CAS-SN). Factors associated with clinical adjustment were identified through multiple linear regression analysis.
Results: The mean clinical adjustment score was 3.82 ± 0.33, with Professional Growth and Interpersonal Engagement achieved the highest subscale score, whereas Coping and Support Strategies scored the lowest. Multiple linear regression analysis identified four variables significantly associated with clinical adjustment: perceived social support (β = 0.28, p < 0.001), positive nurses’ attitudes toward students (β = 0.22, p < 0.01), confidence in clinical practice skills (β = 0.19, p = 0.04), and good academic performance (β = 0.15, p = 0.03). The final model explained 33.8% of the variance in clinical adjustment (adjusted R² = 30.7%).
Conclusion: Third-year nursing students reported clinical adjustment following their initial clinical placement, as assessed using the CAS-SN. Perceived social support, positive nurses’ attitudes toward students, confidence in clinical practice skills, and academic performance were independently associated with clinical adjustment, with perceived social support showing the strongest association. These findings identify supportive relationships, clinical confidence, and academic preparedness as relevant areas for further research and consideration in nursing education during early clinical training.
| Published | 2026-11-15 | |
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| Issue | Vol. 16 No. S-3 (2026) | |
| Section | Original Articles | |
| DOI | 10.34071/jmp.2026.S-3.18 | |
| Keywords | clinical adjustment, clinical learning environment, clinical education, nursing students, social support |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hue Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy
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