Challenges experienced by nursing students during operating room clinical rotations at Camarines Norte Provincial Hospital /
Joe Aldrin S. Elep.
- 155 leaves.
Masters Theses (MAN) - Nursing.
Includes bibliographic references.
The challenges experienced by nursing students during operating room (OR) clinical rotations significantly influence their performance, emotional well- being, and professional development. This study determined the clinical challenges experienced by nursing students assigned to the Camarines Norte Provincial Hospital OR and the coping strategies they employed. It further examined the relationships between students’ demographic profiles and the challenges experienced, as well as between the types of challenges and coping strategies used. The study was anchored on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping which framed how learners interpret and respond to demanding clinical situations. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was utilized. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to nursing students assigned to the OR and were analyzed using percentage, weighted mean, and Chi-square (χ2) test of independence at a 0.05 significance level. Most respondents were 21–23 years old, female, single, and in 4th year level. Chi-square results indicated that age and year level were significantly associated with personal and psychological challenges, whereas sex, religion, and civil status showed no significant relationships across challenge domains. Personal, psychological, and clinical competence challenges were found to be significantly related to the coping strategies employed, while institutional challenges demonstrated no significant association. These findings suggest that students’ coping responses are shaped primarily by individual characteristics and perceived competence, whereas institutional constraints lie largely beyond their control. The study concludes that increasing age and academic maturity strengthen students’ capacity to manage OR-related stress and it proposes a strategic plan to address identified challenges and support effective coping among nursing students.