Operating Room Experiences and their Influence on the Clinical Confidence of Nursing Students

Abstract

Operating room (OR) exposure provides nursing students with valuable clinical experiences that may enhance clinical confidence. This study explored the lived experiences of third- and fourth-year nursing students during Operating room exposure, its influence on clinical confidence, the challenges they encountered, and the coping strategies they employed. A qualitative descriptive design with a phenomenological approach was employed. Purposive sampling was used to select nursing students who had completed at least one Operating room rotation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis based on Creswell and Poth (2018). Four major themes emerged: emotional adjustment and confidence building, learning through exposure and observation, challenges affecting clinical confidence, and coping and adaptation strategies. Participants initially experienced anxiety, fear, and intimidation but gradually developed confidence through repeated exposure, supervision, and clinical practice. Time pressure, unfamiliarity with the Operating room environment, and fear of making mistakes were identified as major challenges, while observation, peer support, and maintaining focus were common coping strategies. It was concluded that Operating room exposure enhanced nursing students’ clinical confidence through supportive learning experiences, repeated exposure, and supervised clinical practice. It was recommended that nursing schools strengthen Operating room orientation, clinical supervision, and supportive learning environments and that future studies include larger samples and diverse clinical settings.