The Effects of a Communication Program on Incivility, Critical Thinking, and Clinical Practice Stress Experienced by Nursing Students

Abstract

Purpose: To identify the effects of a communication program on nursing students' incivility, critical thinking, and clinical practice stress. Methods: A randomized control group pretest-posttest study was conducted. Fifty randomly selected nursing students were divided into experimental and control groups. A 160-minute communication program was applied to the experimental group and a second survey was conducted two weeks later, shortly after their clinical practice. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the incivility experienced in the clinical practice after application of the communication program, and refusal in the sub-categories of incivility was statistically significant in this group. Conclusion: It is necessary to foster communication skills for nursing students. Communication programs reduce incivility. Therefore, nursing educators need to recognize the importance of communication during clinical practice and consider incorporating it into their regular curricula.