A Study on the Self-Identity and Major Satisfaction of Some University Health Students After Field (Clinical) Training

Objective: The increase in the health management needs of the population due to the aging society demands an enhancement of the role of health-related professionals, as well as opportunities to improve and strengthen practical skills in university practical education.This study aims to investigate self-identity and major satisfaction among some health-related major students after field (clinical) practice, with the intention of using the findings to improve students' field (clinical) practice and as basic data for setting better educational directions and developing curricula.Methods: For this study, a survey was conducted on 151 third and fourth-year students majoring in nursing, dental technology, and dental hygiene at universities in the Gyeongbuk area, from September 2 to September 30, 2024, regarding their self-identity and major satisfaction after field (clinical) practice.Data analysis was performed using SPSS ver.22.0, including cross-analysis and ANOVA analysis.Results: In the satisfaction survey of practical training by department based on field practice experience, the nursing department showed high satisfaction in all items.Regarding self-identity after practical training by department based on field practice experience, the nursing department scored 4.53±0.59on 'improvement of learning ability', while the dental technology department scored 3.66±0.63(p＜0.01).In the satisfaction survey of major after practical training based on field practice experience, the dental hygiene and nursing departments reported the lowest scores of 3.09±0.86and 3.23±1.29 on the item 'increase in stress' (p＜0.05).Conclusion: Through this study, it was found that the higher the grade level, the higher the satisfaction with hospital-level services compared to clinic-level services.It also appears that through field practice experiences, students in health-related departments have an increased sense of pride and satisfaction in their majors, which suggests that further research on field (clinical) practice is needed in the future.