Readiness of nursing students for clinical practice: a literature review

Clinical placement in nursing education largely depends on the nursing student’s readiness to engage patient care. This review aims to illustrate the level of practice readiness in nursing students preparing for clinical placement, explore gender differences in practice readiness, identify the measurement tools used to assess readiness, and explore the various aspects of readiness measured. A systematic search was performed in the PubMed, SCOPUS, Ebsco, ProQues, ERIC, MEDLINE (EBSCOhost) databases.  Relevant studies focused on nursing students, practice readiness before or during the professional education phase, and publications from 2018-2023. From 634 records, and seven articles meet the inclusion criteria. The studies utilized three primary measurement tools: the Casey-Fink Readiness for Practice Survey, RIPLS, and custom instruments to assess practice readiness. Results indicated high readiness scores for professional responsibilities and communication skills, interprofessional education, and mixed readiness for clinical practice and treating COVID-19 patients. These findings highlight the diverse factors influencing nursing students' preparedness for clinical practice. The assessment of readiness for practice in nursing students has diverse aspects. Nursing educational institutions need to make efforts in developing learning strategies before students enter the clinical environment.