TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES

COLLEGE OF NURSING
Morong, Rizal

EXPLORING THE BARRIERS OF UTILIZING THEORETICAL

KNOWLEDGE IN CLINICAL SETTINGS: A QUALITATIVE
STUDY

Cherish Loreine T. Corpuz

BSN – 2A

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 TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF NURSING
Morong, Rizal

Concept of the Study

Clinical education faces a significant gap between theoretical knowledge taught

in the classroom and what students experience in clinical settings. Theory and practice

are related, and effective performance in clinical settings requires the integration of

both. However, students often struggle to match theoretical content with practical

experiences, leading to ineffective patient care. Obstacles in clinical settings and

healthcare centers hinder the delivery of effective services. Despite being capable in

theory, students cannot apply this knowledge in real clinical situations. Factors

contributing to theory-practice gaps include system inadequacies, resource restrictions,

lack of experience, poor workplace conditions, and lack of collaboration between clinical

settings and educational institutions. Most studies on theory-practice gaps focus on

nursing staff, neglecting trainers and trainees who play a central role in clinical teaching

and learning. This study aims to explore the barriers of utilizing theoretical knowledge in

clinical settings, focusing on situations where undergraduate students may struggle to

transfer theoretical knowledge into clinical practice experience.

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 TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF NURSING
Morong, Rizal

No. of Respondents

The participants were selected from the nursing and paramedic's students,

faculty members and experienced nursing staff.

Also, faculty members and experienced nursing staff participated in this study.

Purposeful sampling method with the maximum variation in terms of age, gender,

experience in clinical fields and level of education was used. Fifteen individuals
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 TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF NURSING
Morong, Rizal

participated in the study that their demographic information is presented in Table 1. The

guideline of consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) was used

for providing this manuscript.

Recommendations

As the findings of this study have suggested, the following measures should be

at the forefront of the nurse tutors’ agenda when teaching student nurses. Links must be

forged between theoretical knowledge and its practical application in the wards. This

means that student nurses, even during their theoretical allocation, should be given time

to at least observe the practical application of what is taught in the real nursing world of

the ward. Techniques that caused the greatest concern were, building trust in clinical

presence, supporting the learning process, following the concept of evidence-based

practice, encouraging an enthusiastic learning environment and tackling the gap

between simulated and real clinical situations.

The strengths of this study involved the inclusion of participants in disciplines

who have clinical education and affect the process of patients' care such as operating

room and medical emergency trainees’ moreover the nursing students. Lacks of access

to newly qualified professionals were a limitation of this study.

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 TOMAS CLAUDIO COLLEGES
COLLEGE OF NURSING
Morong, Rizal

Conclusions

This study attempted to explain the barriers of using theoretical knowledge as

taught in the classroom into clinical practices. The implementation of learning demands

a workplace structure composed of genuine professional support, trust and the

opportunity of direct experience, using valid and state-of-the-art knowledge by clinical

staff in order to bridge simulated situations with real life. Hence, elimination of barriers

requires improving the cultural, educational and professional settings where students

are both taught and practicing.

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