Influence of clinical internship on emotional intelligence as perceived by nursing students: A longitudinal study

Background: The Emotional Intelligence theory has evolved from the respective definitions of intelligence and emotion. Emotional Intelligence is a fundamental competence for Nursing professionals because it allows developing effective therapeutic relationships, facilitates interaction with other professionals, acts as a significant predictor of conflict management, and is related to a reduction in stress due to overload and work schedules or avoidance behaviours that can affect Nursing care quality but their training is not sufficiently integrated into the training curricula of health professions son the study’s aim is to evaluate the change in Nursing students' perception regarding Emotional Intelligence after carrying out clinical practices in different care services.

Materials and methods: A longitudinal and observational study was carried out at differents Spain's universities. 149 students were included in the study, recruited through a accidental sampling in four Spanish universities. The study investigates the emotional change produced by clinical practices through the TMMS-24 questionnaire. Other sociodemographic and academic variables were collected and the Nursing students' stressors in clinical practices by KEZKAK questionnaire and the Nursing students' perceptions of the instructor's care by S-NSPIC, because they have demonstrated their influence in the process.

Results: The sample consisted of 88.5% were women (n = 131) and 11.5% men (n = 17) with a mean age of 23.36 ± 4.69 years old. The perception of Emotional Intelligence obtained adequate ranges and it increases after clinical practices (p < 0.001), a statistically significant change (p = 0.031) is observed in Emotional Intelligence according to the type of service in which they carry out the practices. Highlighting the Operating Room as the unit in which the greatest change occurs (12.67 ± 3.79) when compared to the special care units, where it is lower (0.50 ± 7.44). Differences are also observed according to duration of the clinical practices, increasing when the periods of practices are longer.

Conclusions: Acquisition of Emotional Intelligence depends on the clinical service in which the students carry out their internships, their duration and the relationships they develop with the tutors. These criteria must be taken into account for the creation of study plans that favour both the increase in knowledge and social and emotional skills, guaranteeing the students' incorporation into the labour market with all possible tools.