Can internship programs affect nursing students’ critical thinking disposition, caring behaviors, and professional commitment?

Abstract

Background: Nursing students are given opportunities to develop critical thinking disposition, caring behaviors, and professional commitment through clinical training. Therefore, nurse educators should move away from traditional methods toward new ones, such as internship programs in clinical training. This study assessed the effect of nursing internship programs on senior undergraduate nursing students’ critical thinking disposition, caring behaviors, and professional commitment. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pretest-posttest design but with no control group. The study sample included 46 senior students enrolled in nursing internship programs. A demographic questionnaire, the Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CTDI), the Caring Assessment Report Evaluation (Care-Q), and the Nursing Professional Commitment Scale (NPCS) were used to collect data before and five months after the nursing internship programs were implemented. Results: The study findings revealed that the senior nursing students’ caring behaviors improved, but the total scores of critical thinking disposition and professional commitment did not change significantly after the nursing internship programs (p > 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, nurse educators are recommended to adopt strategies to improve the effectiveness of internship programs on critical thinking disposition and professional commitment among senior undergraduate nursing students.