Self-Efficacy in Clinical Decision-Making Under Stress Among Senior Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: – Clinical decision-making under stress is a critical competency for senior nursing students, as it influences their ability to manage complex patient needs and contributes to both patient safety and professional preparedness. Purpose: – The aim was to examine the contribution of empowering clinical instruction, resilience, trait anxiety, and clinical satisfaction to senior nursing students’ self-efficacy in clinical decision-making under stress. Methods: – This was a cross-sectional study and included 216 final-year students. Results: – Regression analysis identified empowerment (β =.473), satisfaction (β =.343), and resilience (β =.130) as significant positive predictors of self-efficacy. The final model explained 70.9% of the variance in self-efficacy (adjusted R2 = 0.698). Conclusions: – Educators should prioritize empowering behaviors, including autonomy, feedback, and decision-making opportunities, to enhance students’ confidence in stressful situations and prepare competent nurses for safe, independent, high-quality care.