Self-efficacy of clinical performance in nursing students and its relationship with the motivation of field choice and clinical education status

Introduction Clinical performance self-efficacy is an important element in providing safe care, and it has an important place in nursing education. the self-efficacy of clinical performance can be affected by various factors such as motivation and clinical education status. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the self-efficacy of clinical performance and its relationship with the motivation of choosing a field of study and the status of clinical education in nursing students. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2024 among 237 nursing students at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, located in the northwest of Iran. The sample population of this study included in the study by census method. The data collection tools in this study included a demographic information checklist, clinical performance self-efficacy scale, study field motivation Questionnaire, and clinical education status Questionnaire. Results The results showed that the self-efficacy of clinical performance with mean of 127.88 +/- 21.79 is at the desired level. Motivation was at a good level with mean of 40.50 +/- 8.44. The results also showed that the state of clinical education with mean of 100.27 +/- 21.90 is at the average level. The results of the multivariate regression analysis showed that, with an increase of one unit of the motivation to choose a field, the self-efficacy of clinical performance increases by mean of 0.985 units (P < 0.001), but the state of clinical education does not significantly predict self-efficacy of clinical performance (P = 0.294). Conclusion Based on the results of this study, self-efficacy of clinical performance and motivation in nursing students is in a favorable and good condition, but the condition of clinical education is at an average level. The results of this study also indicated that motivation for choosing a field of study plays a significant role in predicting self-efficacy of clinical performance. Adopting motivational enhancement approaches and improving the quality of clinical education can contribute to the promotion of self-efficacy in the clinical performance of nursing students.