DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/nmjn.v16i1.71246

Assessing Nursing Students’ Readiness for Clinical Practice: A Comprehensive Evaluation

*Qahtan Qasim Mohammed orcid scopus publons  -  Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Baghdad, Iraq
Taha Ahmed Faraj  -  Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Baghdad, Iraq
Kareem Rashag Sachit  -  Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Baghdad, Iraq
Open Access Copyright (c) 2026 by the Authors, Published by Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Citation Format:
Abstract

Background: Nursing students’ clinical readiness is important for a smooth transition into practical settings; however, evidence on the level of readiness and the factors that influence it remains limited. Existing studies often provide only a partial understanding of preparedness, particularly regarding demographic and psychosocial characteristics.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the level of work readiness among fourth-year nursing students and to examine its association with selected demographic and psychosocial variables.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted across five purposively selected colleges of nursing in Iraq. The sample consisted of 550 final-year nursing students. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire and an 18-item work readiness scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square tests) were used for data analysis.

Results: Among the 550 nursing students, 62.7% were female, 94.5% were unmarried, and 48.2% perceived their socioeconomic status as middle. Work readiness was moderate in 57.3% of students, with a mean score of 52.43 (SD = 3.999). Significant associations were found between readiness and gender (p = .001), socioeconomic status (p = .001), educational level prior to college (p = .001), support system (p = .001), and interest in nursing (p = .001).

Conclusion: The study found that students are moderately to well prepared for their nursing careers. They demonstrate the ability to think critically and provide care in clinical contexts, as reflected in their problem-solving skills. These findings highlight the need for targeted educational and psychosocial support strategies to further enhance students’ readiness for professional practice.

Fulltext Email colleagues
Keywords: Clinical competence; nursing education; nursing students; sociodemographic factors; work readiness
Funding: N/A

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: Articles
Language : EN
Most cited articles
Eating Behavior of Autistic Children Decision Making towards Maternal Health Services in Central Java, Indonesia Improving Self-Efficacy and Physical Self-Reliance of Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis through Mindfulness Effects of Family Empowerment on Increasing Family Support in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Transformational and Transactional Leadership Styles of Nurse Managers and Job Satisfaction among Filipino Nurses: A Pilot Study More cited articles
  1. Abdou, H. R., Sleem, W. F., & El-Wkeel, N. S. (2021). Nursing students’ readiness and perspective toward self-directed learning. Mansoura Nursing Journal, 8(2), 77–78. Retrieved from https://mnj.journals.ekb.eg/article_213077.pdf
  2. AbuAlRub, R. F., & Al-Zaru, I. M. (2008). Job stress, recognition, job performance and intention to stay at work among Jordanian hospital nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 16(3), 227–236. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2007.00810.x
  3. ACNielsen Research Services. (2000). Employer satisfaction with graduate skills: Research report. Evaluations and Investigations Programme, Higher Education Division, Department of Education, Training, and Youth Affairs
  4. Ali, W. G. M., & El Sebai, N. A. (2010). Nursing students’ readiness for self-directed learning and its relation to academic achievement in Egypt. International Journal of Nursing Education, 2(1), 25–31
  5. AlMekkawi, M., & Khalil, R. E. (2022). Undergraduate nursing students' readiness to practice: Views of the senior students in the United Arab Emirates. Nurse Educator, 47(4), E86–E90. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001153
  6. Al-Krenawi, A., & Graham, J. R. (2000). Culturally sensitive social work practice with Arab clients in mental health settings. Health & Social Work, 25(1), 9–22. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/25.1.9
  7. Al-Yateem, N., & Docherty, C. (2015). Preparing graduate nurses for the workforce: The role of transition programmes in the Middle East. Journal of Nursing Management, 23(3), 297–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12132
  8. Andrew, L., Robinson, K., Dare, J., & Costello, L. (2023). Nursing students doing gender: Implications for higher education and the nursing profession. Nursing Inquiry, 30(1), e12516. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12516
  9. Atlay, M., & Harris, R. (2000). An institutional approach to developing students' 'transferable' skills. Innovations in Education and Training International, 37(1), 76–84
  10. Bradley, L., Barr, J. A., & Finn, J. (2023). Work readiness of graduating nursing students: Case study research. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 18(3), 383–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2023.03.012
  11. Caballero, C., & Walker, A. (2010). Work readiness in graduate recruitment and selection: A review of current assessment methods. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 1(1), 13–25
  12. Carless, S. A. (2007). Graduate recruitment and selection in Australia. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 15(2), 153–166
  13. Casner-Lotto, J., & Barrington, L. (2006). Are they really ready to work? Employers' perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st century U.S. workforce. The Conference Board, Inc., the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Corporate Voices for Working Families, and the Society for Human Resource Management
  14. Cilar, L., Spevan, M., Čuček Trifkovič, K., & Štiglic, G. (2020). What motivates students to enter nursing? Findings from a cross-sectional study. Nurse Education Today, 90, 104463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104463
  15. Dai, Z., Wang, J., & Ma, X. (2023). Adaptation and validation of the readiness for practice instrument for senior undergraduate nursing students in China. Journal of Nursing Management, 31(1), 8–44. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/8345744
  16. Dudley, M., Khaw, D., Botti, M., & Hutchinson, A. F. (2020). The relationship between the undergraduate clinical learning environment and work readiness in new graduate nurses: A pre-post survey study. Nurse Education Today, 94, 104587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104587
  17. Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A.‑G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193146
  18. Fortes, K., Latham, C. L., Vaughn, S., & Preston, K. (2022). The influence of social determinants of education on nursing student persistence and professional values. Journal of Professional Nursing, 39, 41–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.11.011
  19. Freed-Hardeman University. (2023). Nursing students support system orientation. https://fhu.edu/academics/majors-minors/nursing/nursing-student-support-system-orientation/
  20. Gök Uğur, H., Orak, O. S., & Tekgül, A. T. (2020). Readiness of final-year nursing students for the profession and the affecting factors: Eastern Black Sea region sample. Samsun Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 5(2), 143–151
  21. Guobadia, P., Chukwu, E., & Nwakanma, I. S. (2024). Nursing students' readiness for self-directed learning and its effect on learning outcomes in South-West Nigeria. Pan African Medical Journal, 47(70). Retrieved from https://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/content/article/47/70/full/
  22. Hager, P., & Holland, S. (2006). Graduate attributes learning and employability. Springer. Hambur, S., Rowe, K., & Luc, L. T. (2002). Graduate skills assessment: Stage one validity study. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
  23. Hart, P. D. (2008). How should colleges assess and improve student learning? Employers' views on the accountability challenge. Association of American Colleges and Universities
  24. House, J. S. (1981). Work stress and social support. Addison-Wesley
  25. Hunt, G., Verstappen, A., Stewart, L., Kool, B., & Slark, J. (2020). Career interests of undergraduate nursing students: A ten-year longitudinal study. Nurse Education in Practice, 43, 102702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102702
  26. Järvinen, T., Eklöf, N., & Salminen, L. (2018). Factors related to nursing students’ readiness to enter working life – A scoping literature review. Nurse Education in Practice, 29, 191–199
  27. Johnson, A., Thompson, E., & Lee, S. (2023). Educational background and clinical readiness: A comparative study of nursing students. Nurse Education Today, 65, 45-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2023.02.001
  28. Jones, L., Brown, K., & Taylor, M. (2023). The impact of socioeconomic status on nursing students’ readiness for clinical practice. Journal of Nursing Education, 62(5), 250-258. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20230315-02
  29. Malau-Aduli, B. S., Jones, K., Alele, F., Adu, M. D., Drovandi, A., Knott, G., Young, L., & Jo, C. (2022). Readiness to enter the workforce: Perceptions of health professions students at a regional Australian university. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03120-4
  30. Mohammed, S. A., & Abdelhafiz, I. M. (2018). Nursing students’ perception of clinical learning environment and their academic self-efficacy in Iraq. International Journal of Nursing Education, 10(2), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-9357.2018.00044.4
  31. Nurse interest. (2023). Illinois Career Information System (CIS), Illinois Department of Employment Security. https://apps.illinoisworknet.com/cis/clusters/OccupationDetails/100179
  32. Ridad, G. S., Angintaopan, H., Ayunan, P. H. M., & Manalocon, S. (2024). Stressors and coping strategies as perceived among nursing students during related learning experience (RLE). Nurse Media Journal of Nursing, 14(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.14710/nmjn.v14i1.53987
  33. Roth, P. L., & Bobko, P. (2000). College grade point average as a personnel selection device: Ethnic group differences and potential adverse impact. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(3), 399–406
  34. Slaughter, J. E., Stanton, J. M., Mohr, D. C., William, A., & Schoel, I. (2005). The interaction of attraction and selection: Implications for college recruitment and Schneider's ASA model. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 54(4), 419–441
  35. Smith, J., Brown, L., & Taylor, R. (2022). Gender differences in clinical readiness among nursing students: A comparative study. Journal of Nursing Education, 61(4), 205-212. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20220315-01
  36. Tarhan, M., Doğan, P., & Kürklü, A. (2022). The relationship between nurse-nurse collaboration and work readiness among new graduate nurses. Nursing Forum, 57(6), 1104-1110. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12795
  37. Thompson, E., Garcia, M., & Lee, R. (2023). The role of support systems in nursing student readiness. Nurse Education Today, 68, 25-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2023.04.001
  38. Tolentino Jr., P. A., & Banaticla, M. S. (2023). Readiness of student nurses in clinical practice amidst COVID-19 pandemic. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 51(1), 92-101. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v51i1.9702
  39. Tuppal, C. P., Obando, M. C., Lim, A. M. T., Esposo, N. S., & Arceo, C. J. (2025). Interprofessional education perception among faculty in health allied professions in the Philippines: A preliminary study. Nurse Media Journal of Nursing, 14(3), 318–328. https://doi.org/10.14710/nmjn.v14i3.62146
  40. Umar, A., Muhammad, U. T., Magori, Z. Z., & Suleiman, F. (2020). Student nurses' perception on the socio-economic, environmental, and psychological factors and how they affect academic achievement in School of Nursing, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria. Sokoto Journal of Medical Laboratory Science, 5(1), 127–135
  41. Zhao, Z. H., Guo, J. Y., Zhou, J., Qiao, J., Yue, S. W., Ouyang, Y. Q., Redding, S. R., Wang, R., & Cai, Z. X. (2023). Perceived social support and professional identity in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic era: The mediating effects of self-efficacy and the moderating role of anxiety. BMC Medical Education, 23(1), 117. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03968-6

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update: 2026-04-21 15:09:12

No citation recorded.