Clinical education in undergraduate nursing in Ghana: a gap analysis

Background: Nursing education comprises theory and practice as two complementary parts. In Ghana, the clinical education space is inundated with many challenges, disrupting the intended purpose of clinical education. The multifactorial challenges include student issues, nurse and educator concerns, management and resource issues. To find solutions, there is a need for a critical analysis of the current clinical educational practices to inform the development of feasible and sustainable approaches for nursing education. This article, therefore, reports on a gap analysis of clinical education in Ghana. Method: A qualitative descriptive design underpinned the study and was executed through key informant interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. A total of seventy-three participants, drawn from four nursing education institutions and eight clinical sites located in four administrative regions in Ghana, participated in the study. These participants comprised four principals, four heads of accounts, eight clinical coordinators, eight nurse educators, twelve preceptors, and thirty-seven final-year undergraduate nursing students. Data analysis was done deductively against the Global Pillars for Nursing Education, yielding three themes and eleven sub-themes. Results: For theme 1, the study revealed a lack of a comprehensive competency-based assessment, ineffective interprofessional communication, and a non-stimulating clinical education climate. For theme 2, disregard for available admission standards and non-integration of interprofessional education into the undergraduate curriculum was found. In the case of theme 3, insufficient clinical experience of nurse educators was detected, financial resources to support clinical activities optimally were insufficient, and nursing schools lacked independence to support nursing education effectively. Conclusion: This study identified gaps in the clinical education of undergraduate nurses in Ghana when measured against the Global Pillars for Nursing Education. Gaps in clinical education compromise competence at graduation, resulting in nursing graduates who negatively impact health outcomes. Implementing targeted strategies could enhance clinical teaching and learning in undergraduate nursing education in Ghana. Clinical Trial Number: Not applicable.