Nursing students' perceptions of clinical learning opportunities and competence in administration of oral medication in the Western Cape

Abstract

Medication errors may result in patients' harm and even death. The improvement of nursing students' competence in the administration of medication through education and training can contribute to the reduction of medication errors. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at describing the Bachelor of Nursing students' perceptions about clinical learning opportunities and competence in the administration of oral medication. METHOD: A quantitative descriptive design was employed. An all-inclusive sample of 176 nursing students registered at a university in the Western Cape, South Africa, in 2014 was considered for the study, of whom 125 students consented to participate and completed the questionnaires. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used for data analysis and descriptive statistics were conducted. RESULTS: The findings showed that a minority of students did not have opportunities to rotate in all specific types of wards.