The Psychometric Performance of the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale (CLES+T) Among Nursing Students Undertaking Placements in Regional and Rural Australia

Background: Clinical Learning Environments (CLEs) are essential to nursing education as a platform for students to develop professional identity; consolidate knowledge with clinical practice; and to gain cognitive, communication, and psychomotor skills. Experience in CLEs significantly impacts nursing students’ satisfaction with education and graduate career preferences. The Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale (CLES+T) is widely used to measure the quality of professional experience placements (PEPs), but it has limited evidence of psychometric performance in rural and regional Australian contexts. Aim: To assess the psychometric properties of the CLES+T scale in the Australian context of rural and regional undergraduate nursing PEPs. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study of a convenience sample of 165 undergraduate nursing students from regional Victoria, Australia, who undertook PEPs between January and June 2020. Participants completed the CLES+T scale post-PEP. Statistical analyses included a test of survey tool reliability using Cronbach’s alpha and exploratory factor analysis to investigate instrument dimensionality and validity. Results: The CLES+T scale displayed adequate validity and reliability levels and demonstrated internal consistency similar to previous studies. The most important factor in the CLE was revealed as “pedagogy atmosphere and the content of supervisory relationship” followed by “role of the nurse educator”. Conclusions: The CLES+T shows adequate psychometric properties as a valid tool for use with undergraduate nursing students undertaking PEPs in Australian regional, rural, and remote settings.