The value of caring behavior and its impact on students' self‐efficacy: Perceptions of undergraduate nursing students

BACKGROUND: Clinical instructors are the key mediators in helping students conquer clinical experiences by preparing them for clinical workplaces. The caring behavior of instructors plays an important role in the instructor-student relationship. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to (a) assess the perception of nursing students of clinical instructors' caring behavior and (b) explore the correlation between their perception of instructors' caring behavior and their self-efficacy. DESIGN: A quantitative descriptive correlation design was adopted. SETTING: The sample was collected from the faculty of nursing at a major governmental university for females in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of nursing students (N = 200) was recruited. METHODS: The data were collected using the inventory for nursing students' perceptions of instructor caring (NSPIC) and general self-efficacy (GSE) scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics, such as Pearson r correlation and regression analysis, were used. RESULTS: The total mean of NSPIC was moderate to high (mean = 3.06, SD = 1.04). The level of GSE among students was high (mean = 3.45, SD = 0.849). NSPIC is significantly correlated with its GSE (r = .282). In addition, GSE turned out to be a major indicator of caring behavior, with P = .021 and R(2) = 0.642. CONCLUSION: Caring relationships between clinical instructors and nursing students enable students to grow as caring professionals. Therefore, nursing programs must have highly qualified clinical instructors to teach and train students and be a good role model in the workplace.