course for problem solving

• View programs
• Take our program quiz
• Online BBA Degree Program
• > Specialization in Artificial Intelligence
• > Specialization in Business Analytics
• > Specialization in Digital Marketing
• > Specialization in Digital Transformation
• > Specialization in Entrepreneurship
• > Specialization in International Business
• > Specialization in Product Management
• > Specialization in Supply Chain Management
• Online BBA Top-Up Program
• Associate of Applied Science in Business (AAS)
• Online MS Degree Programs
• > MS in Data Analytics
• > MS in Digital Transformation
• > MS in Entrepreneurship
• Online MBA Degree Program
• > Specialization in Cybersecurity
• > Specialization in E-Commerce
• > Specialization in Fintech & Blockchain
• > Specialization in Sustainability
• Undergraduate certificates
• Graduate certificates
• Undergraduate courses
• Graduate courses
• Apply to Nexford
• Transfer to Nexford
• Explore Education Partners
• Scholarships
• For organizations
• Career Coalition
• Accreditation
• Our faculty
• Career services
• Academic model
• Learner stories
• Book consultation
• Careers - we're hiring!

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Course

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking considers how most successful professionals of the 21st century will be able to assess an environment, analyze a situation, design alternative solutions, and assist organizations in creatively overcoming challenges and reaching strategic goals.

This course focuses on the development of reasoning and problem solving skills by using the scientific method to analyze case studies and controversial topics. Learners consider cultural differences in reasoning, inductive and deductive logic, and how to use positive inquiry and synthesis to solve individual and organizational problems. Emphasis is placed on successful models and proven methods that are transferable within the work environment.

Course level

Undergraduate

Course duration

max. 8 weeks

Estimated time per week

10-15 hours

Course prerequisites

Course credits

Relevant jobs

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Course Overview

Explain the central elements of problem solving and decision making

Develop a strategic approach to individual growth and development and organizational performance

Identify the human factors that impact the results in problem solving and decision making processes

Apply problem solving and decision making processes and methods to real-world situations

Explain the essential components of problem solving and decision making and the obstacles associated with them

Analyze how cultural differences in beliefs can impact higher-order reasoning processes and social norms

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Course Skills

How will i learn, learning experience.

Your course starts on the first of the month. The course consists of 6 modules, and is designed to take you eight weeks to complete. Nexford’s learning design team has purposefully created courses to equip you with competencies mapped to the skills employers are looking for. Each course has 5-7 learning outcomes based on the skills employers need. Everything you learn gives you measurable skills you will use to succeed in today’s world of work.

Nexford courses are not live or recorded lectures. Instead, they’re reading, videos, interactive elements, quizzes and relevant case studies. Programs include assessments, peer-to-peer discussions, and a final project to practice what you’ve learned in a real-world context. Program content is available 24/7 during the course, and you have opportunities for collaboration and networking with learners during and after your program. Our global community of learners work at top companies such as Microsoft, Deloitte, and Google .

You'll have 24/7 access to success advisors to support you. Faculty also provide you world-class support. Book appointments with them, get individual feedback, and attend regular optional webinars.Nexford courses are rigorous and they encourage critical thinking - because we care about what you know how to do not what you know you have regular hands-on assessments reflecting the business world.

Course Outline

How will i be graded.

View the catalog to learn about how this course is graded.

What will I get after completing the course?

You'll get real skills you can use at work, straight away. At the end of this course, you'll also get a digital badge that you can put on your LinkedIn profile to showcase your skills.

Once you've taken one course, you can take more. Using stacked credentials, you’re able to take enough courses to make a certificate, and take enough certificates to build a degree.

If you apply for a Nexford certificate or degree, you'll get credit for each course you take.

What support will I receive?

When you have a dedicated team on your side, you'll never be alone studying at Nexford. Hailing from many different countries and with online education expertise, our faculty provides you world-class support. Ask them questions during one-to-one office hours or live chat , email them any time, and get individual feedback on your assessments.

While you’re learning, you’ll also have full access to the Nexford online library, which includes access to millions of full-text articles, industry reports and key sources such as the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and The Economist.

LinkedIn Learning: unlimited access with Nexford

Support your Nexford goals with access to LinkedIn Learning during your program, at no additional cost. Explore the learning hub of the globe’s biggest professional networking platform to:

• Power your career: choose from over 16,000 expert-led courses, from remote working to data science
• Show off your skills: earn a certificate when you complete a course
• See what’s trending: LinkedIn Learning adds 25 new courses each week
• Tailor your learning: choose relevant courses based on your experience, LinkedIn profile and goals
• Test what you’ve learned: use LinkedIn Learning assessments

Questions? We’re here to help

Frequently asked questions

Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Course Testimonials

When I started at Nexford I found a direction.

Each course is like a door opening.

My weekly reflective journal is my Nexford highlight. Thanks to faculty support, I continually apply principles to my enterprise – and I've been able to scale beyond considerable measure.

I don't have to spend a fortune to earn a high-quality MBA.

• Business Essentials
• Leadership & Management
• Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB)
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation
• Digital Transformation
• Finance & Accounting
• Business in Society
• For Organizations
• Support Portal
• Media Coverage
• Founding Donors
• Leadership Team
• Harvard Business School →
• HBS Online →
• Online Business Certificate Courses
• Business Strategy
• Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability

Design Thinking and Innovation

Key concepts, who will benefit, aspiring or current innovation managers, entrepreneurs, product managers, developers, and marketers.

What You Earn

Certificate of Completion

Boost your resume with a Certificate of Completion from HBS Online

Earn by: completing this course

Certificate of Specialization

Prove your mastery of entrepreneurship and innovation

Earn by: completing any three courses within this subject area to earn a Certificate of Specialization

Content Week - Clarify: Empathy and Understanding

• An Introduction to Innovation
• Clarify Through Observation
• Insights and Problem Framing
• The Right Enviroment for Creativity

Featured Exercises

Project week – clarify.

• Project Instructions

Content Week - Ideate, Part 1: Tools for Generating Ideas

• Establishing Focus with Design Principles
• The Ideation Process: Getting Started with SIT
• More SIT Tools for Ideation
• Open-Ended Approaches to Generating Ideas
• Review of Project Work

Content Week - Ideate, Part 2: User Values and Behaviors

• Design Heuristics for Generating and Refining Ideas
• Designing for Behavior Change

Project Week - Ideate

Content Week - Develop: An Experimentation Mindset

• Idea Selection and Evaluation
• Defining and Refining Your Prototype Plan
• Prototyping: From Exploration to Validation
• Leading Concept Development

Content Week - Implement: Communication and Structure

• Overcoming Developer and User Bias
• Strategies for Communicating Value
• Managing an Innovation Culture

So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur: How to Get Started

Our difference, about the professor.

Srikant Datar Design Thinking and Innovation

Dates & eligibility.

No current course offerings for this selection.

All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the course.

Learn about bringing this course to your organization .

Learner Stories

Design Thinking and Innovation FAQs

Could you tell me a little more about the ai course assistant chat bot.

You can think of the beta version of the Design Thinking and Innovation AI Course Assistant chat bot in two ways: like a virtual Teaching Assistant who can help you consolidate and confirm your understanding of course concepts, and as a virtual Learner Success Assistant who can help you stay on track with completing the coursework in a timely fashion. When you are finding a particular concept difficult to master, or would like additional examples of a theory, try asking the bot your question in the same way you would phrase it to a human TA. If you have a question pertaining to where or how to submit certain assignments, or one relating to deadlines or time estimates, you can also express those in a similar fashion. Please note that no preexisting familiarity or experience with generative AI is necessary or assumed to use the bot and, while we encourage you to engage with the bot and share your candid feedback on your experience, a lack of engagement with the bot will not adversely impact your eligibility for a certificate of completion.

What are the learning requirements in order to successfully complete the course, and how are grades assigned?

Participants in Design Thinking and Innovation are eligible for a Certificate of Completion from Harvard Business School Online.

Participants are expected to fully complete all coursework in a thoughtful and timely manner. This will mean meeting each week’s course module deadlines and fully answering questions posed therein. This helps ensure participants proceed through the course at a similar pace and can take full advantage of social learning opportunities. In addition to module and assignment completion, we expect you to offer feedback on others’ reflections and contribute to conversations on the platform. Participants who fail to complete the course requirements will not receive a certificate and will not be eligible to retake the course.

More detailed information on course requirements will be communicated at the start of the course. No grades are assigned for Design Thinking and Innovation. Participants will either be evaluated as complete or not complete.

What materials will I have access to after completing Design Thinking and Innovation?

You will have access to the materials in every prior module as you progress through the program. Access to course materials and the course platform ends 60 days after the final deadline in the program.

At the end of each course module, you will be able to download a PDF summary highlighting key concepts used throughout the course. At the end of the program, you will receive a PDF compilation of all of the module summary documents. We hope the module summary documents will serve as a helpful resource after you finish the course.

How should I list my certificate on my resume?

Once you've earned your Certificate of Completion, list it on your resume along with the date of completion:

Harvard Business School Online Certificate in Design Thinking and Innovation [Cohort Start Month and Year]

List your certificate on your LinkedIn profile under "Education" with the language from the Credential Verification page:

School: Harvard Business School Online Dates Attended: [The year you participated in the program] Degree: Other; Certificate in Design Thinking and Innovation Field of Study: Leave blank Grade: "Complete" Activities and Societies: Leave blank

Description: Design Thinking and Innovation is a 7-week, 40-hour online certificate program from Harvard Business School. Design Thinking and Innovation will teach you how to leverage fundamental design thinking principles and innovative problem-solving tools to address business challenges and build products, strategies, teams, and environments for optimal use and performance.

The program was developed by leading Harvard Business School faculty and is delivered in an active learning environment based on the HBS signature case-based learning model.

What is the project?

Beginning in Module 2 of Design Thinking and Innovation, you will apply the tools you learn in the course to an innovation problem that is important or interesting to you, or you can use a provided scenario. In subsequent modules, you will use your earlier responses to build on your innovation project and make each phase of design thinking relevant to your own work.

Do I need to collaborate with others to complete the project?

No, each individual submits their own work in Design Thinking and Innovation, and all project work can be submitted without sharing it with others in the course. You are encouraged to share with others and ask for feedback, but collaboration isn’t necessary to advance through the course.

Related Programs

Negotiation Mastery

Secure maximum value for your organization through a mastery of negotiation techniques.

Entrepreneurship Essentials

Master a proven framework for building and financing new ventures, and make your entrepreneurial dreams a reality.

Disruptive Strategy

Strengthen your capacity to create winning strategies and bring innovations to market by discovering customer jobs to be done and aligning your business’s resources, processes, and profit formula.

• Courses for Individuals

Unlocking the Power of Perspectives: Problem Solving with Clarity, Creativity, and Collaboration

Management and Leadership

Certificate Credits

- Negotiation & Communication

- Organizations & Leadership

• Participants

Course Highlights

• Immerse yourself in a learning experience that has the potential to substantially alter how you lead, listen, collaborate, negotiate, and connect with others
• Work individually and in groups to better understand the value of different perspectives and how to incorporate those perspectives into your management and leadership styles
• Take inspiration from the work of jazz musicians to understand how to organize, communicate, and connect with others while engaging in change
• Learn visual thinking strategies that can help you elicit and harness perspectives in ways that cultivate adaptability, creativity, and innovation
• Earn a certificate of course completion from the MIT Sloan School of Management

Featured content

Why attend Unlocking the Power of Perspectives?

The ability to work with multiple and diverse perspectives is a valuable skill set that enables creative problem-solving, fosters greater interpersonal connection, increases clarity and collaboration, and motivates groups. This highly interactive problem-solving course focuses on advanced leadership skills for holding and managing multiple perspectives simultaneously to leverage and unleash the creative potential of divergence in and across business to generate richer outcomes.

In the context of great change and uncertainty, we must show up differently as leaders. We must be great problem solvers. Creativity is a necessity. We must put ourselves in a position of constant learning. And we must be able to change and flex our point of view: not necessarily the way we see the world, but certainly the way we see ourselves.

This problem-solving course is taught by Aithan Shapira, an internationally acclaimed artist and MIT Sloan lecturer, and Wanda Orlikowski, Professor of Information Technologies and Organization Studies at MIT Sloan.  Unlocking the Power of Perspectives is an immersive learning experience with the potential to substantially alter how you lead, listen, collaborate, negotiate, and connect with others.

Course experience

This critical thinking and problem-solving course is highly interactive—be prepared to participate and engage. You will work individually and in groups to better understand the value of different perspectives and how to incorporate those perspectives into your management and leadership styles. As you build rapport with your peers, you’ll complete challenges related to the tension of holding conflicting perspectives, starting at different reference points, and tracking and learning from healthy differentiation. Stepping outside the conventional business context, you will take inspiration from the work of jazz musicians to understand how to organize, communicate, and connect with others while engaging in change.

Faculty will share examples of highly successful leaders who changed and evolved their own leadership styles to enable their companies to survive disruption and thrive. You’ll learn how executives have transformed company culture and increased revenue simply by changing the way they listen and solve problems. 

The course also covers skills for visualizing and working in opposing perspectives. You will learn visual thinking strategies that can help you elicit and harness perspectives in ways that cultivate adaptability, creativity, and innovation. Because the better you are at shifting your mindset and approach and concentrating on relationships in the moment, without losing sight of your motivation, the more likely you are to steer your team toward success.

Learn more about the live online experience .    

Learn more about the in-person experience .

Applying to the course

We accept enrollments until the offering reaches capacity, at which point we will maintain a waitlist. Many of the courses fill up several weeks in advance, so we advise that you enroll as early as possible to secure your seat.

You can begin the application process by using the red 'Enroll Now' bar at the bottom of the screen.

Health and Safety

See our on campus healthy and safety policies.  

Have questions?

Contact us if you would like to speak with a program director or visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to common questions about our courses.

Upon successful completion of your course, you will earn a certificate of completion from the MIT Sloan School of Management. This course may also count toward MIT Sloan Executive Certificate requirements.

Participants of this course will acquire

• Frameworks and methods to improve the quality and effectiveness of collaboration and problem-solving at your organization 
• A toolkit of corrective and self-reflective practices around listening and perspective taking.
• A deeper understanding of the thinking process that leads us from a fact to a decision or action
• Tools to suspend beliefs and judgments that block clear listening and an open mind
• Visual thinking strategies on how to draw out and harness perspectives to enable innovation and create value
• A broader set of skills to organize, communicate, and connect with others while engaging in change
• Clarity around your strengths and challenges as a leader

Sample Schedule—Subject to Change

This innovative and experiential course is designed for

• Mid- and senior-level executives who are interested in introspection, self-reflection, and transformation and who are willing to engage, share, and collaborate within teams and groups
• The course content is applicable to professionals in any role and in any industry

Request Course Information

Receive email updates related to this course, including faculty news and additional offering dates.

Review our Privacy Policy.

This course provided more than I ever could have expected or anticipated. I was able to reflect on my own perspective and how that informs the work that I do; I was introduced to frameworks to understand the perspectives of and work effectively with my colleagues; and was exposed to this work through a lens of art and music, which was truly breathtaking (I won't say more as to not spoil the experience for others!). These lessons were so relevant for me and my work that in real-time I was implementing my learning in my work and saw a direct impact. I continue to use all I have learned from this course and could not recommend others to take this course more strongly!

—Julia R.

Enroll Now!

Harnessing choice to thrive as a leader, access your artistic side to lead through uncertainty, train your brain to unlock creativity and innovation, leadership cues to take from performers and artists, course offerings.

Lean Six Sigma Training Certification

• Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
• (877) 497-4462

Unlocking Innovative Solutions with TRIZ: A Powerful Problem-Solving Methodology

May 20th, 2024

Businesses constantly search for innovative fixes to stay ahead and handle complex puzzles. But creation paths often hit snags, contradictions, and walls that seem impossible to climb. This is where TRIZ, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, shows its worth with a powerful method fueling breakthrough solutions and a constantly upgrading culture.

Developed decades ago by Soviet brainiac Genrich Altshuller after analyzing millions of patents across industries, TRIZ identifies the patterns behind successful ideas.

By furnishing a methodical framework for problem-solving and imagination, TRIZ empowers organizations to expertly handle technical and business complications.

TRIZ recognizes most problems stem from built-in clashes in a system. Where improving one aspect often damages another.

By systematically finding and resolving these contradictions, TRIZ guides solvers toward innovative answers bypassing the usual tradeoffs.

Key Highlights

• Understand the origins and essence of TRIZ, a systematic approach to problem-solving and innovation rooted in the analysis of patents and inventions.
• Explore the key principles and tools of TRIZ, including the Contradiction Matrix, Functional Analysis, Ideality, and Patterns of Evolution.
• Learn a step-by-step approach to applying TRIZ in your organization.
• Discover stories and applications of TRIZ across various industries, including engineering, manufacturing, business, and cross-industry domains.
• Gain insights into building a culture of systematic innovation by embracing TRIZ through training, and fostering a mindset of creativity.

What is TRIZ?

TRIZ, an acronym for the Russian phrase “ Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadatch “, stands for the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. 

This powerful methodology, developed by Genrich Altshuller and his colleagues in the Soviet Union, represents a systematic approach to innovation and problem-solving rooted in analyzing patents and inventions across various fields.

TRIZ operates on the premise that the evolution of technical systems follows distinct patterns and principles.

By studying these patterns and the underlying mechanisms that drive successful innovations, TRIZ provides a structured framework for understanding and resolving contradictions within a system, unlocking creative solutions that transcend traditional trade-offs and compromises.

The Essence of TRIZ

The essence of TRIZ lies in its ability to identify and resolve contradictions, which are often at the heart of many complex problems. 

These contradictions can manifest as technical trade-offs, where improving one aspect of a system leads to the deterioration of another.

For instance, increasing the strength of a material may result in an increase in its weight, which is undesirable in certain applications.

TRIZ recognizes that true innovation occurs when these contradictions are addressed and resolved systematically.

By generalizing problems and solutions across industries, TRIZ leverages the collective knowledge and ingenuity of inventors and problem-solvers throughout history, providing a vast reservoir of proven techniques and principles that can be adapted and applied to specific challenges.

Moreover, TRIZ emphasizes the importance of understanding the patterns of technical evolution, which describe the natural progression of systems and technologies over time .

By anticipating and aligning with these patterns, problem-solvers can proactively identify opportunities for innovation and develop solutions that are effective and aligned with the system’s evolutionary trajectory.

Through its structured approach and extensive knowledge base, TRIZ empowers organizations to navigate the complexities of problem-solving and innovation, fostering a culture of systematic thinking and creative problem-solving that can yield breakthrough solutions and drive continuous improvement across various domains.

Key Principles and Tools of TRIZ

TRIZ is a powerful arsenal of principles and tools that provide a structured approach to problem-solving and innovation.

These principles and tools have been meticulously derived from the analysis of countless patents and inventions, distilling the collective wisdom and ingenuity of innovators throughout history.

By mastering these key principles and tools, problem-solvers can unlock a world of creative solutions and drive continuous improvement within their organizations.

The Contradiction Matrix

One of the fundamental tools in the TRIZ methodology is the Contradiction Matrix. This matrix serves as a powerful framework for identifying and resolving contradictions, which often lie at the root of many complex problems.

TRIZ recognizes two distinct types of contradictions:

Technical contradictions and trade-offs

These contradictions arise when improving one aspect of a system leads to the deterioration of another.

For instance, increasing the strength of a material may result in an increase in weight, which is undesirable in certain applications.

Physical contradictions and inherent conflicts

These contradictions occur when an object or system is subject to conflicting requirements or characteristics.

For example, a product may need to be both durable and lightweight, presenting an inherent contradiction.

The Contradiction Matrix provides a systematic approach to resolving these contradictions by mapping them to a set of 40 inventive principles. 

These principles, derived from the analysis of countless patents, offer proven strategies and techniques for overcoming specific contradictions, enabling problem-solvers to generate innovative solutions that transcend traditional trade-offs.

Functional Analysis and Trimming

Effective problem-solving often requires a deep understanding of a system’s functions, interactions, and components.

TRIZ offers powerful tools for functional analysis and trimming, which enable problem-solvers to deconstruct and analyze complex systems in a structured manner.

Analyzing system functions and interactions: TRIZ employs techniques such as functional modeling and substance-field analysis to identify the relationships and interactions between various components within a system.

By understanding these interactions, problem-solvers can pinpoint potential areas for improvement or optimization.

Ideality and Patterns of Evolution

TRIZ is not merely a collection of tools but also a guiding philosophy that emphasizes the pursuit of ideality and the recognition of patterns in technical evolution.

Striving for the Ideal Final Result (IFR): The concept of ideality in TRIZ encourages problem-solvers to envision an ideal state where the desired functions are achieved without any adverse effects or limitations.

This aspirational mindset drives the search for innovative solutions that continually approach the ideal, pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Understanding technical evolution patterns (S-curves): TRIZ recognizes that technical systems and technologies follow predictable patterns of evolution, often represented by S-curves .

By studying these patterns, problem-solvers can anticipate future developments, identify opportunities for innovation, and align their solutions with the natural trajectory of technical evolution.

Applying TRIZ: A Step-by-Step Approach

While the principles and tools of TRIZ may seem complex, the true power of this methodology lies in its structured and systematic approach to problem-solving.

By following a well-defined step-by-step process, organizations can harness the full potential of TRIZ to tackle even the most daunting challenges and drive innovation within their domains.

This approach not only ensures a thorough understanding of the problem but also provides a roadmap for leveraging the various TRIZ tools and techniques to generate and evaluate innovative solutions.

Defining the Problem and Identifying Contradictions

The first step in the TRIZ approach is to clearly define the problem at hand and identify the desired outcomes. This process involves a thorough analysis of the current situation, including the limitations, constraints, and requirements that must be addressed.

By establishing a clear understanding of the problem, problem-solvers can better recognize the inherent contradictions that lie at its core.

Recognizing technical and physical contradictions is a crucial aspect of this stage.

Technical contradictions, as we’ve discussed, arise when improving one aspect of a system leads to the deterioration of another. Physical contradictions, on the other hand, stem from conflicting requirements or characteristics within an object or system.

TRIZ provides specific tools and techniques for identifying and analyzing these contradictions, laying the foundation for the subsequent steps in the problem-solving process.

Utilizing TRIZ Tools and Techniques

Once the problem and its contradictions have been clearly defined, the next step is to leverage the various TRIZ tools and techniques to generate potential solutions.

This stage involves a systematic application of the principles and concepts we’ve discussed earlier, including:

Leveraging the Contradiction Matrix and Inventive Principles  

By mapping the identified contradictions to the Contradiction Matrix, problem-solvers can access a wealth of inventive principles that offer proven strategies for resolving those contradictions.

These principles, derived from the analysis of countless patents, serve as a powerful source of inspiration and guidance for generating innovative solutions.

Conducting functional analysis and trimming

TRIZ’s functional analysis and trimming tools enable problem-solvers to deconstruct and analyze complex systems, identifying unnecessary components or functions that can be streamlined or eliminated.

This process of simplification often paves the way for innovative solutions by removing redundancies and enhancing efficiency.

Exploring patterns of evolution and ideality

TRIZ encourages problem-solvers to explore the patterns of technical evolution and strive for the Ideal Final Result (IFR). 

By understanding these patterns and envisioning an ideal state, organizations can align their solutions with the natural trajectory of technical evolution and continually push the boundaries of what is possible.

Generating and Evaluating Solutions

With a deep understanding of the problem and its contradictions, and armed with the TRIZ tools and techniques, problem-solvers can then embark on the process of generating potential solutions.

This stage often involves ideation techniques based on TRIZ principles, such as the use of analogies, functional modeling, and the application of scientific effects.

However, generating solutions is only half the battle. TRIZ also provides a framework for evaluating potential solutions based on their feasibility, impact, and alignment with the desired outcomes.

This evaluation process involves assessing factors such as resource availability, technical feasibility, and potential risks or unintended consequences.

TRIZ in Practice: Success Stories and Applications

While the principles and concepts of TRIZ may seem abstract and theoretical, the true testament to its effectiveness lies in its practical applications across diverse industries and domains.

From engineering and manufacturing to business and management, TRIZ has proven itself as a powerful catalyst for innovation, driving organizations to develop groundbreaking solutions and achieve remarkable successes.

Engineering and Manufacturing Applications

TRIZ has found widespread adoption in the engineering and manufacturing sectors, where its principles have been instrumental in driving product design and development, as well as optimizing processes and reducing waste.

Product design and development

TRIZ has played a pivotal role in the creation of innovative products that push the boundaries of what is possible.

By resolving contradictions inherent in design requirements and leveraging the principles of technical evolution, TRIZ has enabled engineers to develop cutting-edge solutions that meet customer needs while overcoming technical limitations.

Examples include the development of more fuel-efficient aircraft designs, improved engine performance, and the creation of advanced materials with unique properties.

Process optimization and waste reduction

In the realm of manufacturing, TRIZ has been a driving force behind the optimization of production processes and the reduction of waste.

By applying functional analysis and trimming techniques, organizations have been able to streamline their operations, eliminate unnecessary steps, and enhance efficiency.

This has not only resulted in cost savings but has also contributed to sustainability efforts by minimizing resource consumption and environmental impact.

Business and Management Applications

While TRIZ originated in the realm of engineering and technology, its principles have proven equally valuable in the business and management spheres, where strategic planning, decision-making, and innovation management are paramount.

Strategic planning and decision-making: TRIZ offers a structured framework for analyzing complex business challenges and developing innovative strategies.

By identifying contradictions within organizational goals or operational processes, TRIZ enables decision-makers to transcend traditional trade-offs and develop holistic solutions that address multiple objectives simultaneously.

This approach has proven invaluable in areas such as market positioning, product portfolio management, and organizational restructuring .

Innovation management and problem-solving: In today’s highly competitive business landscape, innovation is a key driver of success.

TRIZ has emerged as a powerful tool for fostering a culture of continuous innovation within organizations.

By providing a systematic approach to problem-solving and idea generation, TRIZ empowers teams to tackle complex business challenges and develop innovative solutions that give them a competitive edge.

This has been particularly valuable in areas such as business process optimization, service innovation, and the development of new business models.

Cross-Industry Applications

The versatility and universality of TRIZ principles have enabled its application across a diverse range of industries, transcending the boundaries of engineering and business.

Pharmaceutical and biomedical innovations: TRIZ has played a crucial role in advancing the fields of pharmaceuticals and biomedicine.

By resolving contradictions inherent in drug formulation, delivery mechanisms, and medical device design, TRIZ has facilitated the development of innovative treatments, drug delivery systems, and cutting-edge medical technologies that improve patient outcomes and enhance the quality of healthcare.

Software and IT problem-solving: In the rapidly evolving world of software and information technology, TRIZ has proven to be a valuable asset for tackling complex technological challenges.

These success stories and applications serve as a testament to the power and versatility of TRIZ.

TRIZ has enabled organizations across various industries to achieve remarkable breakthroughs, drive continuous improvement , and maintain a competitive edge in an ever-changing business landscape by providing a structured and systematic approach to problem-solving and innovation.

Embracing TRIZ: Building a Culture of Systematic Innovation

While TRIZ offers a powerful methodology for problem-solving and innovation, its true impact extends far beyond the application of its tools and techniques.

To fully harness the potential of TRIZ, organizations must embrace a holistic approach that fosters a culture of systematic innovation. 

Training and Skill Development

The success of TRIZ within an organization hinges on the development of a skilled and knowledgeable workforce. TRIZ certification programs and workshops play a crucial role in equipping employees with the necessary tools and techniques to apply TRIZ principles effectively.

These training initiatives not only impart theoretical knowledge but also provide hands-on experience and practical application scenarios, enabling participants to develop a deep understanding of TRIZ concepts and their real-world applications.

By making TRIZ an integral part of the organization’s DNA, it becomes a shared language and a common framework for problem-solving and innovation across all levels and departments.

Fostering a Mindset of Creativity and Problem-Solving

While TRIZ provides a structured approach to problem-solving, its true power lies in its ability to foster a mindset of creativity and innovation within the organization.

By encouraging innovative thinking and structured creativity, organizations can empower their teams to tackle complex challenges with confidence and ingenuity.

This mindset shift involves cultivating an environment that embraces divergent thinking, promotes risk-taking, and values the exploration of unconventional ideas.

It also entails providing employees with the necessary tools and resources to engage in creative problem-solving, such as dedicated ideation spaces, collaborative platforms, and opportunities for cross-functional collaboration.

By empowering teams to tackle complex challenges through the lens of TRIZ, organizations can unlock a wealth of innovative solutions that drive growth, enhance competitiveness, and create lasting value for stakeholders.

Continuous Improvement and Knowledge Sharing

The journey of innovation and problem-solving is never-ending, and organizations need to foster a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.

TRIZ plays a pivotal role in this endeavor by providing a framework for capturing and leveraging the solutions generated through its application.

By documenting and cataloging TRIZ-based solutions, organizations can build a comprehensive knowledge base that serves as a valuable resource for future problem-solving efforts.

This knowledge base not only preserves the collective wisdom and insights gained through past projects but also enables the organization to learn from its successes and failures, continuously refining and improving its approach to innovation.

TRIZ represents a powerful and methodical approach to problem-solving and creation, drawing on the collective genius of history’s countless innovators. Businesses unlock endless innovative solutions and enable constant upgrades by wholeheartedly embracing TRIZ and weaving it into a company’s fabric. This maintains an edge as the business landscape continuously evolves.

However, TRIZ’s true strength extends beyond techniques – it lies in the mindset shift toward systematic innovation. By cultivating an atmosphere valuing imagination, problem-solving, and sharing knowledge, companies unleash staff’s full potential. They harness TRIZ’s transformative might to achieve monumental breakthroughs and sustainable successes.

As we navigate modern business complexities, TRIZ shines as a guide, offering a structured path to innovation and a framework exceeding usual restrictions. By embracing TRIZ culture, organizations position themselves as pioneers. They push industry boundaries shaping industries’ futures.

In other words, let TRIZ light your fire for creation excellence. It equips mastery to drive sustainable successes through breakthrough solutions and continual upgrading spirit.

SixSigma.us offers both Live Virtual classes as well as Online Self-Paced training. Most option includes access to the same great Master Black Belt instructors that teach our World Class in-person sessions. Sign-up today!

Virtual Classroom Training Programs Self-Paced Online Training Programs

SixSigma.us Accreditation & Affiliations

Monthly Management Tips

• Be the first one to receive the latest updates and information from 6Sigma
• Get curated resources from industry-experts
• Gain an edge with complete guides and other exclusive materials
• Become a part of one of the largest Six Sigma community
• Unlock your path to become a Six Sigma professional

" * " indicates required fields

10 of the highest-paying IT jobs right now

If you’re looking for a well-paying, in-demand job that rewards problem-solving skills, a career in information technology might be a good fit for you. The field of IT encompasses computer systems, programming languages, software, data, information processing, and storage to create, secure, and exchange electronic data. 

Even with recent layoffs in the tech sector, Gaurav Jetley, assistant professor of computer information systems in Colorado State University ’s College of Business, says not to worry.

Embark on an AI revolution with UT Austin. Two course start dates per year. Accessible $10,000 tuition.

“IT jobs are still in demand,” Jetley says. “We will see more jobs open up later this year, hopefully.”

And it appears to be true: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 377,500 job openings are projected each year, with a median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations of $104,420 in May 2023.

For those who are interested in pursuing IT jobs, here are 10 of the field’s top-paying roles.

1. Chief Technology Officer  

Top-paying companies: Capital One, Bloomberg, AFL-CIO

Description: Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) manage an organization’s technological needs and oversee its research and development efforts. CTOs consider the needs of an organization and make investments to help them reach their goals. They also use technology to improve products that serve customers.

Average base salary: $186,703, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: San Diego, Calif. ($298,291), Seattle, Wash. ($255,930), New York, N.Y. ($224,111), according to Indeed .

2. Vice President of Information Technology

Top-paying companies: Oracle, Centene, USAA

Description: Vice Presidents (VPs) of Information Technology are tasked with overseeing the IT operations of an organization, including its infrastructure, security, data management, and software applications. VPs of IT direct and manage schedules, IT plans, programs, and policies related to an organization’s management of information systems, computer services, data processing, network communications, and business operations.

Average base salary: $167,619, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: Arlington Heights, Ill. ($228,699), San Diego, Calif. ($213,387), Dallas, Texas ($211,544), according to Indeed .

3. Application Architect  

Top-paying companies: Cisco, IBM, Amazon.com

Description: Application Architects manage the development and troubleshooting of applications. Whether overseeing a team of developers or working with clients to plan and design applications, this role addresses programming and coding issues to improve products. This position requires someone to be both a master developer and an experienced leader.

Average base salary: $138,429, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: San Jose, Calif. ($173,364), San Francisco, Calif. ($161,567), Washington, D.C. ($153,720), according to Indeed .

4. Data Architect  

Top-paying companies: Amazon.com, Accenture, IBM

Description: Data Architects design, deploy, and manage the data infrastructure of an organization. This role formulates an organization’s entire data strategy, including analyzing existing databases, planning future ones, and implementing data storage and management solutions. As practically every company employs data, this role is useful in every industry.

“They define how the data will be stored in the company, how it will be consumed,” Jetley explains.

Average base salary: $132,442, according to Payscale .

Top-paying locations: Washington, D.C. ($153,480), New York, N.Y. ($149,160), Minneapolis, Minn. ($122,717), according to Payscale .

5. Director of Information Technology  

Top-paying companies: Oracle, Bristol Myers Squibb, USAA

Description: IT Directors manage the information technology and computer systems of an organization under the CIO. This position makes sure that an organization’s tech solutions adequately manage the security, accessibility, and functionality of their IT framework. They also ensure proper communication between chief executives and the IT department.

Average base salary: $130,896, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: San Jose, Calif. ($193,636), St. Louis, Mo. ($176,150), New York, N.Y. ($159,317), according to Indeed .

6. Solutions Architect  

Description: Solutions Architects develop, build, and implement an organization’s systems architecture to meet customer and business needs. This role evaluates an organization’s existing system architecture and figures out solutions to change, improve, and modernize. 

“You usually have a solutions architect in companies that are employing a cloud solution. They design these solutions,” Jetley says. “These days we’re seeing an uptick in cloud solutions architects because of AI. Most AI is running in the cloud these days.”

Average base salary: $128,106, according to Payscale .

Top-paying locations: San Francisco, Calif. ($148,014), New York, N.Y. ($135,266), Chicago, Ill. ($132,515), according to Payscale .

7. Chief Information Officer  

Top-paying companies: Cisco, Walt Disney Company, Adobe

Description: Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are responsible for managing and implementing an organization’s information and computer technology systems. This executive position figures out which technologies will benefit an organization, improve business processes, and integrate systems that help an organization achieve their goals.

“This position is not about the nitty gritty but looking at the overall strategy for the entire company,” Jetley says. “They also take care of the implementation of systems.”

Average base s alary: $128,101, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: New York, N.Y. ($211,773), Austin, Texas ($180,626), Washington, D.C. ($163,990), according to Indeed .

8. DevOps Engineer  

Top-paying companies: Capital One, Boeing, Northrop Grumman

Description: DevOps Engineers manage an organization’s IT infrastructure. This role updates and maintains software processes with the aim of fixing bugs and improving user experience. DevOps engineers have a strong focus on automation and coordinate all teams involved with a product’s development.

“These are very technically savvy folks that basically manage the entire IT infrastructure,” Jetley says. 

Average base salary: $125,152, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: Palo Alto, Calif. ($157,688), San Francisco, Calif. ($153,008), Herndon, Va. ($148,683), according to Indeed .

9. Information Security and Cybersecurity Engineers and Architects  

Top-paying companies: Capital One, MITRE, Honeywell

Description: Information Security and Cybersecurity Engineers and Architects are IT professionals who work alongside developers to make sure that software, systems, applications, and networks are secure. 

These roles may also respond to security risks faced by organizations, such as cyberattacks, security incidents, and data breaches. While architects are responsible for designing cybersecurity systems, engineers focus on building and maintaining cybersecurity infrastructure.

“These are folks who are at the forefront of technology,” Jetley says. “They have to be proactive. They have to be updated on what’s happening, what kind of new threats are emerging, and to take steps to mitigate these things.”

Average base salary: $112,619, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: Charlotte, N.C. ($162,158), Raleigh, N.C. ($146,450), Washington, D.C. ($122,770), according to Indeed .

10. Principal Software Engineer  

Top-paying companies: Microsoft, USAA, MITRE

Description: Principal Software Engineers lead teams of engineers to create high-quality, scalable software to achieve an organization’s goals. This role develops and tests software; they are also responsible for reviewing code written by other engineers, identifying the right technology to meet an organization’s needs, and creating architecture for complex software systems.

Average base salary: $111,822, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: New York, N.Y. ($165,480), Atlanta, Ga. ($157,432), Chicago, Ill. ($147,257), according to Indeed .

The takeaway  

If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, the field of IT is a rewarding one for continuous learners who love to problem solve. For those who are just getting started, it’s a good idea to pursue certifications or a bachelor’s degree related to IT. Jetley recommends concentrating on a specialty.

“Have a general understanding of many specialties, but digging deep into one specialty is key,” Jetley says. “For that, you have to spend a considerable amount of time learning these systems.”

Rethink AI and its potential to innovate in this 6-week online course from MIT Sloan.

Mba rankings.

• Best Online MBA Programs for 2024
• Best Online Master’s in Accounting Programs for 2024
• Best MBA Programs for 2024
• Best Executive MBA Programs for 2024
• Best Part-Time MBA Programs for 2024
• 25 Most Affordable Online MBAs for 2024
• Best Online Master’s in Business Analytics Programs for 2024

Information technology & data rankings

• Best Online Master’s in Data Science Programs for 2024
• Most Affordable Master’s in Data Science for 2024
• Best Master’s in Cybersecurity Degrees for 2024
• Best Online Master’s in Cybersecurity Degrees for 2024
• Best Online Master’s in Computer Science Degrees for 2024
• Best Master’s in Data Science Programs for 2024
• Most Affordable Online Master’s in Data Science Programs for 2024
• Most Affordable Online Master’s in Cybersecurity Degrees for 2024

Health rankings

• Best Online MSN Nurse Practitioner Programs for 2024
• Accredited Online Master’s of Social Work (MSW) Programs for 2024
• Best Online Master’s in Nursing (MSN) Programs for 2024
• Best Online Master’s in Public Health (MPH) Programs for 2024
• Most Affordable Online MSN Nurse Practitioner Programs for 2024
• Best Online Master’s in Psychology Programs for 2024

Leadership rankings

• Best Online Doctorate in Education (EdD) Programs for 2024
• Most Affordable Online Doctorate in Education (EdD) Programs for 2024
• Coding Bootcamps in New York for 2024
• Best Data Science and Analytics Bootcamps for 2024
• Best Cybersecurity Bootcamps for 2024
• Best UX/UI bootcamps for 2024

Boarding schools

• World’s Leading Boarding Schools for 2024
• Top Boarding School Advisors for 2024

Examine the technology behind AI over 6 weeks on this Oxford online programme.

• Newsletters

IE 11 Not Supported

Opinion: what is higher ed’s role in providing ai job skills, in addition to programming and technical skills, the next generation of ai developers may also need training in subjects traditionally aligned with liberal-arts education, such as ethics, problem-solving and communication..

WHAT AI WILL DO — AND WHAT IT STILL CAN’T

Critical skills for working in ai, according to ai, ai replacing jobs in higher ed.

Proceedings of the International Conference on Current Issues in Education (ICCIE 2023)

A Preliminary Study on Grade X Students’ Problem-Solving Skills as the 21st Century Skills in Biology Course

Problem-solving skills are essential skills to face the demands of the 21st century. Problem-solving skills help students to think reflectively in conceptualizing and understanding problems, designing to find the solutions, implementing solutions as well as evaluating the effectiveness of solutions used to solve problems. This study aimed to investigate the problem-solving skills of grade X students at SMA Negeri 1 Majene West Sulawesi on biodiversity and virus topic. A survey was conducted on 123 participants for one month. The data were collected through a problem-solving skills test which adapted from indicator of Greenstein (2012), consisting of 16 questions and then analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the percentage of average score on each problem-solving indicator, which sorted from the lowest category to the highest category; a very low category in the indicator of the applies problem-solving steps (49.09), implement solutions to the real-world applications (49.09) and evaluating solutions (49.70). A low category in the indicator of deductive reasoning (51.12), defending solutions (52.44), identifying the problem (52.85), inductive reasoning (53.56), identifying solutions (55.89). When they are counted as an overall score, the average value of students’ problem-solving skills (51.71) was in the low category. Our results indicated that the learning activities might not be problem-solving oriented, which further could not make students act as active learners. Therefore, more efforts are needed to improve students’ problem-solving skills, one of which is through the application of certain learning strategies or models that can improve students’ problem-solving skills.

Download article (PDF)

Cite this article

• Open access
• Published: 11 May 2024

Nursing students’ stressors and coping strategies during their first clinical training: a qualitative study in the United Arab Emirates

• Jacqueline Maria Dias 1 ,
• Muhammad Arsyad Subu 1 ,
• Nabeel Al-Yateem 1 ,
• Fatma Refaat Ahmed 1 ,
• Syed Azizur Rahman 1 , 2 ,
• Mini Sara Abraham 1 ,
• Sareh Mirza Forootan 1 ,
• Farzaneh Ahmad Sarkhosh 1 &
• Fatemeh Javanbakh 1  

BMC Nursing volume  23 , Article number:  322 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

470 Accesses

Metrics details

Understanding the stressors and coping strategies of nursing students in their first clinical training is important for improving student performance, helping students develop a professional identity and problem-solving skills, and improving the clinical teaching aspects of the curriculum in nursing programmes. While previous research have examined nurses’ sources of stress and coping styles in the Arab region, there is limited understanding of these stressors and coping strategies of nursing students within the UAE context thereby, highlighting the novelty and significance of the study.

A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews. Overall 30 students who were undergoing their first clinical placement in Year 2 at the University of Sharjah between May and June 2022 were recruited. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and analyzed for themes.

During their first clinical training, nursing students are exposed to stress from different sources, including the clinical environment, unfriendly clinical tutors, feelings of disconnection, multiple expectations of clinical staff and patients, and gaps between the curriculum of theory classes and labatories skills and students’ clinical experiences. We extracted three main themes that described students’ stress and use of coping strategies during clinical training: (1) managing expectations; (2) theory-practice gap; and (3) learning to cope. Learning to cope, included two subthemes: positive coping strategies and negative coping strategies.

Conclusions

This qualitative study sheds light from the students viewpoint about the intricate interplay between managing expectations, theory practice gap and learning to cope. Therefore, it is imperative for nursing faculty, clinical agencies and curriculum planners to ensure maximum learning in the clinical by recognizing the significance of the stressors encountered and help students develop positive coping strategies to manage the clinical stressors encountered. Further research is required look at the perspective of clinical stressors from clinical tutors who supervise students during their first clinical practicum.

Peer Review reports

Nursing education programmes aim to provide students with high-quality clinical learning experiences to ensure that nurses can provide safe, direct care to patients [ 1 ]. The nursing baccalaureate programme at the University of Sharjah is a four year program with 137 credits. The programmes has both theoretical and clinical components withs nine clinical courses spread over the four years The first clinical practicum which forms the basis of the study takes place in year 2 semester 2.

Clinical practice experience is an indispensable component of nursing education and links what students learn in the classroom and in skills laboratories to real-life clinical settings [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. However, a gap exists between theory and practice as the curriculum in the classroom differs from nursing students’ experiences in the clinical nursing practicum [ 5 ]. Clinical nursing training places (or practicums, as they are commonly referred to), provide students with the necessary experiences to ensure that they become proficient in the delivery of patient care [ 6 ]. The clinical practicum takes place in an environment that combines numerous structural, psychological, emotional and organizational elements that influence student learning [ 7 ] and may affect the development of professional nursing competencies, such as compassion, communication and professional identity [ 8 ]. While clinical training is a major component of nursing education curricula, stress related to clinical training is common among students [ 9 ]. Furthermore, the nursing literature indicates that the first exposure to clinical learning is one of the most stressful experiences during undergraduate studies [ 8 , 10 ]. Thus, the clinical component of nursing education is considered more stressful than the theoretical component. Students often view clinical learning, where most learning takes place, as an unsupportive environment [ 11 ]. In addition, they note strained relationships between themselves and clinical preceptors and perceive that the negative attitudes of clinical staff produce stress [ 12 ].

The effects of stress on nursing students often involve a sense of uncertainty, uneasiness, or anxiety. The literature is replete with evidence that nursing students experience a variety of stressors during their clinical practicum, beginning with the first clinical rotation. Nursing is a complex profession that requires continuous interaction with a variety of individuals in a high-stress environment. Stress during clinical learning can have multiple negative consequences, including low academic achievement, elevated levels of burnout, and diminished personal well-being [ 13 , 14 ]. In addition, both theoretical and practical research has demonstrated that increased, continual exposure to stress leads to cognitive deficits, inability to concentrate, lack of memory or recall, misinterpretation of speech, and decreased learning capacity [ 15 ]. Furthermore, stress has been identified as a cause of attrition among nursing students [ 16 ].

Most sources of stress have been categorized as academic, clinical or personal. Each person copes with stress differently [ 17 ], and utilizes deliberate, planned, and psychological efforts to manage stressful demands [ 18 ]. Coping mechanisms are commonly termed adaptation strategies or coping skills. Labrague et al. [ 19 ] noted that students used critical coping strategies to handle stress and suggested that problem solving was the most common coping or adaptation mechanism used by nursing students. Nursing students’ coping strategies affect their physical and psychological well-being and the quality of nursing care they offer. Therefore, identifying the coping strategies that students use to manage stressors is important for early intervention [ 20 ].

Studies on nursing students’ coping strategies have been conducted in various countries. For example, Israeli nursing students were found to adopt a range of coping mechanisms, including talking to friends, engaging in sports, avoiding stress and sadness/misery, and consuming alcohol [ 21 ]. Other studies have examined stress levels among medical students in the Arab region. Chaabane et al. [ 15 ], conducted a systematic review of sudies in Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan, Oman, Palestine and Bahrain, and reported that stress during clinical practicums was prevalent, although it could not be determined whether this was limited to the initial clinical course or occurred throughout clinical training. Stressors highlighted during the clinical period in the systematic review included assignments and workload during clinical practice, a feeling that the requirements of clinical practice exceeded students’ physical and emotional endurance and that their involvement in patient care was limited due to lack of experience. Furthermore, stress can have a direct effect on clinical performance, leading to mental disorders. Tung et al. [ 22 ], reported that the prevalence of depression among nursing students in Arab countries is 28%, which is almost six times greater than the rest of the world [ 22 ]. On the other hand, Saifan et al. [ 5 ], explored the theory-practice gap in the United Arab Emirates and found that clinical stressors could be decreased by preparing students better for clinical education with qualified clinical faculty and supportive preceptors.

The purpose of this study was to identify the stressors experienced by undergraduate nursing students in the United Arab Emirates during their first clinical training and the basic adaptation approaches or coping strategies they used. Recognizing or understanding different coping processes can inform the implementation of corrective measures when students experience clinical stress. The findings of this study may provide valuable information for nursing programmes, nurse educators, and clinical administrators to establish adaptive strategies to reduce stress among students going clinical practicums, particularly stressors from their first clinical training in different healthcare settings.

A qualitative approach was adopted to understand clinical stressors and coping strategies from the perspective of nurses’ lived experience. Qualitative content analysis was employed to obtain rich and detailed information from our qualitative data. Qualitative approaches seek to understand the phenomenon under study from the perspectives of individuals with lived experience [ 23 ]. Qualitative content analysis is an interpretive technique that examines the similarities and differences between and within different areas of text while focusing on the subject [ 24 ]. It is used to examine communication patterns in a repeatable and systematic way [ 25 ] and yields rich and detailed information on the topic under investigation [ 23 ]. It is a method of systematically coding and categorizing information and comprises a process of comprehending, interpreting, and conceptualizing the key meanings from qualitative data [ 26 ].

Setting and participants

This study was conducted after the clinical rotations ended in April 2022, between May and June in the nursing programme at the College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates. The study population comprised undergraduate nursing students who were undergoing their first clinical training and were recruited using purposive sampling. The inclusion criteria for this study were second-year nursing students in the first semester of clinical training who could speak English, were willing to participate in this research, and had no previous clinical work experience. The final sample consisted of 30 students.

Research instrument

The research instrument was a semi structured interview guide. The interview questions were based on an in-depth review of related literature. An intensive search included key words in Google Scholar, PubMed like the terms “nursing clinical stressors”, “nursing students”, and “coping mechanisms”. Once the questions were created, they were validated by two other faculty members who had relevant experience in mental health. A pilot test was conducted with five students and based on their feedback the following research questions, which were addressed in the study.

How would you describe your clinical experiences during your first clinical rotations?

In what ways did you find the first clinical rotation to be stressful?

What factors hindered your clinical training?

How did you cope with the stressors you encountered in clinical training?

Which strategies helped you cope with the clinical stressors you encountered?

Data collection

Semi-structured interviews were chosen as the method for data collection. Semi structured interviews are a well-established approach for gathering data in qualitative research and allow participants to discuss their views, experiences, attitudes, and beliefs in a positive environment [ 27 ]. This approach allows for flexibility in questioning thereby ensuring that key topics related to clinical learning stressors and coping strategies would be explored. Participants were given the opportunity to express their views, experiences, attitudes, and beliefs in a positive environment, encouraging open communication. These semi structured interviews were conducted by one member of the research team (MAS) who had a mental health background, and another member of the research team who attended the interviews as an observer (JMD). Neither of these researchers were involved in teaching the students during their clinical practicum, which helped to minimize bias. The interviews took place at the University of Sharjah, specifically in building M23, providing a familiar and comfortable environment for the participant. Before the interviews were all students who agreed to participate were provided with an explanation of the study’s purpose. The time and location of each interview were arranged. Before the interviews were conducted, all students who provided consent to participate received an explanation of the purpose of the study, and the time and place of each interview were arranged to accommodate the participants’ schedules and preferences. The interviews were conducted after the clinical rotation had ended in April, and after the final grades had been submitted to the coordinator. The timings of the interviews included the month of May and June which ensured that participants have completed their practicum experience and could reflect on the stressors more comprehensively. The interviews were audio-recorded with the participants’ consent, and each interview lasted 25–40 min. The data were collected until saturation was reached for 30 students. Memos and field notes were also recorded as part of the data collection process. These additional data allowed for triangulation to improve the credibility of the interpretations of the data [ 28 ]. Memos included the interviewers’ thoughts and interpretations about the interviews, the research process (including questions and gaps), and the analytic progress used for the research. Field notes were used to record the interviewers’ observations and reflections on the data. These additional data collection methods were important to guide the researchers in the interpretation of the data on the participants’ feelings, perspectives, experiences, attitudes, and beliefs. Finally, member checking was performed to ensure conformability.

Data analysis

The study used the content analysis method proposed by Graneheim and Lundman [ 24 ]. According to Graneheim and Lundman [ 24 ], content analysis is an interpretive technique that examines the similarities and differences between distinct parts of a text. This method allows researchers to determine exact theoretical and operational definitions of words, phrases, and symbols by elucidating their constituent properties [ 29 ]. First, we read the interview transcripts several times to reach an overall understanding of the data. All verbatim transcripts were read several times and discussed among all authors. We merged and used line-by-line coding of words, sentences, and paragraphs relevant to each other in terms of both the content and context of stressors and coping mechanisms. Next, we used data reduction to assess the relationships among themes using tables and diagrams to indicate conceptual patterns. Content related to stress encountered by students was extracted from the transcripts. In a separate document, we integrated and categorized all words and sentences that were related to each other in terms of both content and context. We analyzed all codes and units of meaning and compared them for similarities and differences in the context of this study. Furthermore, the emerging findings were discussed with other members of the researcher team. The final abstractions of meaningful subthemes into themes were discussed and agreed upon by the entire research team. This process resulted in the extraction of three main themes in addition to two subthemes related to stress and coping strategies.

Ethical considerations

The University of Sharjah Research Ethics Committee provided approval to conduct this study (Reference Number: REC 19-12-03-01-S). Before each interview, the goal and study procedures were explained to each participant, and written informed consent was obtained. The participants were informed that participation in the study was voluntary and that they could withdraw from the study at any time. In the event they wanted to withdraw from the study, all information related to the participant would be removed. No participant withdrew from the study. Furthermore, they were informed that their clinical practicum grade would not be affected by their participation in this study. We chose interview locations in Building M23that were private and quiet to ensure that the participants felt at ease and confident in verbalizing their opinions. No participant was paid directly for involvement in this study. In addition, participants were assured that their data would remain anonymous and confidential. Confidentiality means that the information provided by participants was kept private with restrictions on how and when data can be shared with others. The participants were informed that their information would not be duplicated or disseminated without their permission. Anonymity refers to the act of keeping people anonymous with respect to their participation in a research endeavor. No personal identifiers were used in this study, and each participant was assigned a random alpha-numeric code (e.g., P1 for participant 1). All digitally recorded interviews were downloaded to a secure computer protected by the principal investigator with a password. The researchers were the only people with access to the interview material (recordings and transcripts). All sensitive information and materials were kept secure in the principal researcher’s office at the University of Sharjah. The data will be maintained for five years after the study is completed, after which the material will be destroyed (the transcripts will be shredded, and the tapes will be demagnetized).

In total, 30 nursing students who were enrolled in the nursing programme at the Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, and who were undergoing their first clinical practicum participated in the study. Demographically, 80% ( n  = 24) were females and 20% ( n  = 6) were male participants. The majority (83%) of study participants ranged in age from 18 to 22 years. 20% ( n  = 6) were UAE nationals, 53% ( n  = 16) were from Gulf Cooperation Council countries, while 20% ( n  = 6) hailed from Africa and 7% ( n  = 2) were of South Asian descent. 67% of the respondents lived with their families while 33% lived in the hostel. (Table  1 )

Following the content analysis, we identified three main themes: (1) managing expectations, (2) theory-practice gap and 3)learning to cope. Learning to cope had two subthemes: positive coping strategies and negative coping strategies. An account of each theme is presented along with supporting excerpts for the identified themes. The identified themes provide valuable insight into the stressors encountered by students during their first clinical practicum. These themes will lead to targeted interventions and supportive mechanisms that can be built into the clinical training curriculum to support students during clinical practice.

Theme 1: managing expectations

In our examination of the stressors experienced by nursing students during their first clinical practicum and the coping strategies they employed, we identified the first theme as managing expectations.

The students encountered expectations from various parties, such as clinical staff, patients and patients’ relatives which they had to navigate. They attempted to fulfil their expectations as they progressed through training, which presented a source of stress. The students noted that the hospital staff and patients expected them to know how to perform a variety of tasks upon request, which made the students feel stressed and out of place if they did not know how to perform these tasks. Some participants noted that other nurses in the clinical unit did not allow them to participate in nursing procedures, which was considered an enormous impediment to clinical learning, as noted in the excerpt below:

“…Sometimes the nurses… They will not allow us to do some procedures or things during clinical. And sometimes the patients themselves don’t allow us to do procedures” (P5).

Some of the students noted that they felt they did not belong and felt like foreigners in the clinical unit. Excerpts from the students are presented in the following quotes;

“The clinical environment is so stressful. I don’t feel like I belong. There is too little time to build a rapport with hospital staff or the patient” (P22).

“… you ask the hospital staff for some guidance or the location of equipment, and they tell us to ask our clinical tutor …but she is not around … what should I do? It appears like we do not belong, and the sooner the shift is over, the better” (P18).

“The staff are unfriendly and expect too much from us students… I feel like I don’t belong, or I am wasting their (the hospital staff’s) time. I want to ask questions, but they have loads to do” (P26).

Other students were concerned about potential failure when working with patients during clinical training, which impacted their confidence. They were particularly afraid of failure when performing any clinical procedures.

“At the beginning, I was afraid to do procedures. I thought that maybe the patient would be hurt and that I would not be successful in doing it. I have low self-confidence in doing procedures” (P13).

The call bell rings, and I am told to answer Room No. XXX. The patient wants help to go to the toilet, but she has two IV lines. I don’t know how to transport the patient… should I take her on the wheelchair? My eyes glance around the room for a wheelchair. I am so confused …I tell the patient I will inform the sister at the nursing station. The relative in the room glares at me angrily … “you better hurry up”…Oh, I feel like I don’t belong, as I am not able to help the patient… how will I face the same patient again?” (P12).

Another major stressor mentioned in the narratives was related to communication and interactions with patients who spoke another language, so it was difficult to communicate.

“There was a challenge with my communication with the patients. Sometimes I have communication barriers because they (the patients) are of other nationalities. I had an experience with a patient [who was] Indian, and he couldn’t speak my language. I did not understand his language” (P9).

Thus, a variety of expectations from patients, relatives, hospital staff, and preceptors acted as sources of stress for students during their clinical training.

Theme 2: theory-practice gap

Theory-practice gaps have been identified in previous studies. In our study, there was complete dissonance between theory and actual clinical practice. The clinical procedures or practices nursing students were expected to perform differed from the theory they had covered in their university classes and skills lab. This was described as a theory–practice gap and often resulted in stress and confusion.

“For example …the procedures in the hospital are different. They are different from what we learned or from theory on campus. Or… the preceptors have different techniques than what we learned on campus. So, I was stress[ed] and confused about it” (P11).

Furthermore, some students reported that they did not feel that they received adequate briefing before going to clinical training. A related source of stress was overload because of the volume of clinical coursework and assignments in addition to clinical expectations. Additionally, the students reported that a lack of time and time management were major sources of stress in their first clinical training and impacted their ability to complete the required paperwork and assignments:

“…There is not enough time…also, time management at the hospital…for example, we start at seven a.m., and the handover takes 1 hour to finish. They (the nurses at the hospital) are very slow…They start with bed making and morning care like at 9.45 a.m. Then, we must fill [out] our assessment tool and the NCP (nursing care plan) at 10 a.m. So, 15 only minutes before going to our break. We (the students) cannot manage this time. This condition makes me and my friends very stressed out. -I cannot do my paperwork or assignments; no time, right?” (P10).

“Stressful. There is a lot of work to do in clinical. My experiences are not really good with this course. We have a lot of things to do, so many assignments and clinical procedures to complete” (P16).

The participants noted that the amount of required coursework and number of assignments also presented a challenge during their first clinical training and especially affected their opportunity to learn.

“I need to read the file, know about my patient’s condition and pathophysiology and the rationale for the medications the patient is receiving…These are big stressors for my learning. I think about assignments often. Like, we are just focusing on so many assignments and papers. We need to submit assessments and care plans for clinical cases. We focus our time to complete and finish the papers rather than doing the real clinical procedures, so we lose [the] chance to learn” (P25).

Another participant commented in a similar vein that there was not enough time to perform tasks related to clinical requirements during clinical placement.

“…there is a challenge because we do not have enough time. Always no time for us to submit papers, to complete assessment tools, and some nurses, they don’t help us. I think we need more time to get more experiences and do more procedures, reduce the paperwork that we have to submit. These are challenges …” (P14).

There were expectations that the students should be able to carry out their nursing duties without becoming ill or adversely affected. In addition, many students reported that the clinical environment was completely different from the skills laboratory at the college. Exposure to the clinical setting added to the theory-practice gap, and in some instances, the students fell ill.

One student made the following comment:

“I was assisting a doctor with a dressing, and the sight and smell from the oozing wound was too much for me. I was nauseated. As soon as the dressing was done, I ran to the bathroom and threw up. I asked myself… how will I survive the next 3 years of nursing?” (P14).

Theme 3: learning to cope

The study participants indicated that they used coping mechanisms (both positive and negative) to adapt to and manage the stressors in their first clinical practicum. Important strategies that were reportedly used to cope with stress were time management, good preparation for clinical practice, and positive thinking as well as engaging in physical activity and self-motivation.

“Time management. Yes, it is important. I was encouraging myself. I used time management and prepared myself before going to the clinical site. Also, eating good food like cereal…it helps me very much in the clinic” (P28).

“Oh yeah, for sure positive thinking. In the hospital, I always think positively. Then, after coming home, I get [to] rest and think about positive things that I can do. So, I will think something good [about] these things, and then I will be relieved of stress” (P21).

Other strategies commonly reported by the participants were managing their breathing (e.g., taking deep breaths, breathing slowly), taking breaks to relax, and talking with friends about the problems they encountered.

“I prefer to take deep breaths and breathe slowly and to have a cup of coffee and to talk to my friends about the case or the clinical preceptor and what made me sad so I will feel more relaxed” (P16).

“Maybe I will take my break so I feel relaxed and feel better. After clinical training, I go directly home and take a long shower, going over the day. I will not think about anything bad that happened that day. I just try to think about good things so that I forget the stress” (P27).

“Yes, my first clinical training was not easy. It was difficult and made me stressed out…. I felt that it was a very difficult time for me. I thought about leaving nursing” (P7).

I was not able to offer my prayers. For me, this was distressing because as a Muslim, I pray regularly. Now, my prayer time is pushed to the end of the shift” (P11).

“When I feel stress, I talk to my friends about the case and what made me stressed. Then I will feel more relaxed” (P26).

Self-support or self-motivation through positive self-talk was also used by the students to cope with stress.

“Yes, it is difficult in the first clinical training. When I am stress[ed], I go to the bathroom and stand in the front of the mirror; I talk to myself, and I say, “You can do it,” “you are a great student.” I motivate myself: “You can do it”… Then, I just take breaths slowly several times. This is better than shouting or crying because it makes me tired” (P11).

Other participants used physical activity to manage their stress.

“How do I cope with my stress? Actually, when I get stressed, I will go for a walk on campus” (P4).

“At home, I will go to my room and close the door and start doing my exercises. After that, I feel the negative energy goes out, then I start to calm down… and begin my clinical assignments” (P21).

Both positive and negative coping strategies were utilized by the students. Some participants described using negative coping strategies when they encountered stress during their clinical practice. These negative coping strategies included becoming irritable and angry, eating too much food, drinking too much coffee, and smoking cigarettes.

“…Negative adaptation? Maybe coping. If I am stressed, I get so angry easily. I am irritable all day also…It is negative energy, right? Then, at home, I am also angry. After that, it is good to be alone to think about my problems” (P12).

“Yeah, if I…feel stress or depressed, I will eat a lot of food. Yeah, ineffective, like I will be eating a lot, drinking coffee. Like I said, effective, like I will prepare myself and do breathing, ineffective, I will eat a lot of snacks in between my free time. This is the bad side” (P16).

“…During the first clinical practice? Yes, it was a difficult experience for us…not only me. When stressed, during a break at the hospital, I will drink two or three cups of coffee… Also, I smoke cigarettes… A lot. I can drink six cups [of coffee] a day when I am stressed. After drinking coffee, I feel more relaxed, I finish everything (food) in the refrigerator or whatever I have in the pantry, like chocolates, chips, etc” (P23).

These supporting excerpts for each theme and the analysis offers valuable insights into the specific stressors faced by nursing students during their first clinical practicum. These insights will form the basis for the development of targeted interventions and supportive mechanisms within the clinical training curriculum to better support students’ adjustment and well-being during clinical practice.

Our study identified the stressors students encounter in their first clinical practicum and the coping strategies, both positive and negative, that they employed. Although this study emphasizes the importance of clinical training to prepare nursing students to practice as nurses, it also demonstrates the correlation between stressors and coping strategies.The content analysis of the first theme, managing expectations, paves the way for clinical agencies to realize that the students of today will be the nurses of tomorrow. It is important to provide a welcoming environment where students can develop their identities and learn effectively. Additionally, clinical staff should foster an environment of individualized learning while also assisting students in gaining confidence and competence in their repertoire of nursing skills, including critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills [ 8 , 15 , 19 , 30 ]. Another challenge encountered by the students in our study was that they were prevented from participating in clinical procedures by some nurses or patients. This finding is consistent with previous studies reporting that key challenges for students in clinical learning include a lack of clinical support and poor attitudes among clinical staff and instructors [ 31 ]. Clinical staff with positive attitudes have a positive impact on students’ learning in clinical settings [ 32 ]. The presence, supervision, and guidance of clinical instructors and the assistance of clinical staff are essential motivating components in the clinical learning process and offer positive reinforcement [ 30 , 33 , 34 ]. Conversely, an unsupportive learning environment combined with unwelcoming clinical staff and a lack of sense of belonging negatively impact students’ clinical learning [ 35 ].

The sources of stress identified in this study were consistent with common sources of stress in clinical training reported in previous studies, including the attitudes of some staff, students’ status in their clinical placement and educational factors. Nursing students’ inexperience in the clinical setting and lack of social and emotional experience also resulted in stress and psychological difficulties [ 36 ]. Bhurtun et al. [ 33 ] noted that nursing staff are a major source of stress for students because the students feel like they are constantly being watched and evaluated.

We also found that students were concerned about potential failure when working with patients during their clinical training. Their fear of failure when performing clinical procedures may be attributable to low self-confidence. Previous studies have noted that students were concerned about injuring patients, being blamed or chastised, and failing examinations [ 37 , 38 ]. This was described as feeling “powerless” in a previous study [ 7 , 12 ]. In addition, patients’ attitudes towards “rejecting” nursing students or patients’ refusal of their help were sources of stress among the students in our study and affected their self-confidence. Self-confidence and a sense of belonging are important for nurses’ personal and professional identity, and low self-confidence is a problem for nursing students in clinical learning [ 8 , 39 , 40 ]. Our findings are consistent with a previous study that reported that a lack of self-confidence was a primary source of worry and anxiety for nursing students and affected their communication and intention to leave nursing [ 41 ].

In the second theme, our study suggests that students encounter a theory-practice gap in clinical settings, which creates confusion and presents an additional stressors. Theoretical and clinical training are complementary elements of nursing education [ 40 ], and this combination enables students to gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to provide nursing care. This is consistent with the findings of a previous study that reported that inconsistencies between theoretical knowledge and practical experience presented a primary obstacle to the learning process in the clinical context [ 42 ], causing students to lose confidence and become anxious [ 43 ]. Additionally, the second theme, the theory-practice gap, authenticates Safian et al.’s [ 5 ] study of the theory-practice gap that exists United Arab Emirates among nursing students as well as the need for more supportive clinical faculty and the extension of clinical hours. The need for better time availability and time management to complete clinical tasks were also reported by the students in the study. Students indicated that they had insufficient time to complete clinical activities because of the volume of coursework and assignments. Our findings support those of Chaabane et al. [ 15 ]. A study conducted in Saudi Arabia [ 44 ] found that assignments and workload were among the greatest sources of stress for students in clinical settings. Effective time management skills have been linked to academic achievement, stress reduction, increased creativity [ 45 ], and student satisfaction [ 46 ]. Our findings are also consistent with previous studies that reported that a common source of stress among first-year students was the increased classroom workload [ 19 , 47 ]. As clinical assignments and workloads are major stressors for nursing students, it is important to promote activities to help them manage these assignments [ 48 ].

Another major challenge reported by the participants was related to communicating and interacting with other nurses and patients. The UAE nursing workforce and population are largely expatriate and diverse and have different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Therefore, student nurses encounter difficulty in communication [ 49 ]. This cultural diversity that students encounter in communication with patients during clinical training needs to be addressed by curriculum planners through the offering of language courses and courses on cultural diversity [ 50 ].

Regarding the third and final theme, nursing students in clinical training are unable to avoid stressors and must learn to cope with or adapt to them. Previous research has reported a link between stressors and the coping mechanisms used by nursing students [ 51 , 52 , 53 ]. In particular, the inability to manage stress influences nurses’ performance, physical and mental health, attitude, and role satisfaction [ 54 ]. One such study suggested that nursing students commonly use problem-focused (dealing with the problem), emotion-focused (regulating emotion), and dysfunctional (e.g., venting emotions) stress coping mechanisms to alleviate stress during clinical training [ 15 ]. Labrague et al. [ 51 ] highlighted that nursing students use both active and passive coping techniques to manage stress. The pattern of clinical stress has been observed in several countries worldwide. The current study found that first-year students experienced stress during their first clinical training [ 35 , 41 , 55 ]. The stressors they encountered impacted their overall health and disrupted their clinical learning. Chaabane et al. [ 15 ] reported moderate and high stress levels among nursing students in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. Another study from Bahrain reported that all nursing students experienced moderate to severe stress in their first clinical placement [ 56 ]. Similarly, nursing students in Spain experienced a moderate level of stress, and this stress was significantly correlated with anxiety [ 30 ]. Therefore, it is imperative that pastoral systems at the university address students’ stress and mental health so that it does not affect their clinical performance. Faculty need to utilize evidence-based interventions to support students so that anxiety-producing situations and attrition are minimized.

In our study, students reported a variety of positive and negative coping mechanisms and strategies they used when they experienced stress during their clinical practice. Positive coping strategies included time management, positive thinking, self-support/motivation, breathing, taking breaks, talking with friends, and physical activity. These findings are consistent with those of a previous study in which healthy coping mechanisms used by students included effective time management, social support, positive reappraisal, and participation in leisure activities [ 57 ]. Our study found that relaxing and talking with friends were stress management strategies commonly used by students. Communication with friends to cope with stress may be considered social support. A previous study also reported that people seek social support to cope with stress [ 58 ]. Some students in our study used physical activity to cope with stress, consistent with the findings of previous research. Stretching exercises can be used to counteract the poor posture and positioning associated with stress and to assist in reducing physical tension. Promoting such exercise among nursing students may assist them in coping with stress in their clinical training [ 59 ].

Our study also showed that when students felt stressed, some adopted negative coping strategies, such as showing anger/irritability, engaging in unhealthy eating habits (e.g., consumption of too much food or coffee), or smoking cigarettes. Previous studies have reported that high levels of perceived stress affect eating habits [ 60 ] and are linked to poor diet quality, increased snacking, and low fruit intake [ 61 ]. Stress in clinical settings has also been linked to sleep problems, substance misuse, and high-risk behaviors’ and plays a major role in student’s decision to continue in their programme.

Implications of the study

The implications of the study results can be grouped at multiple levels including; clinical, educational, and organizational level. A comprehensive approach to addressing the stressors encountered by nursing students during their clinical practicum can be overcome by offering some practical strategies to address the stressors faced by nursing students during their clinical practicum. By integrating study findings into curriculum planning, mentorship programs, and organizational support structures, a supportive and nurturing environment that enhances students’ learning, resilience, and overall success can be envisioned.

Clinical level

Introducing simulation in the skills lab with standardized patients and the use of moulage to demonstrate wounds, ostomies, and purulent dressings enhances students’ practical skills and prepares them for real-world clinical scenarios. Organizing orientation days at clinical facilities helps familiarize students with the clinical environment, identify potential stressors, and introduce interventions to enhance professionalism, social skills, and coping abilities Furthermore, creating a WhatsApp group facilitates communication and collaboration among hospital staff, clinical tutors, nursing faculty, and students, enabling immediate support and problem-solving for clinical situations as they arise, Moreover, involving chief nursing officers of clinical facilities in the Nursing Advisory Group at the Department of Nursing promotes collaboration between academia and clinical practice, ensuring alignment between educational objectives and the needs of the clinical setting [ 62 ].

Educational level

Sharing study findings at conferences (we presented the results of this study at Sigma Theta Tau International in July 2023 in Abu Dhabi, UAE) and journal clubs disseminates knowledge and best practices among educators and clinicians, promoting awareness and implementation of measures to improve students’ learning experiences. Additionally we hold mentorship training sessions annually in January and so we shared with the clinical mentors and preceptors the findings of this study so that they proactively they are equipped with strategies to support students’ coping with stressors during clinical placements.

Organizational level

At the organizational we relooked at the available student support structures, including counseling, faculty advising, and career advice, throughout the nursing program emphasizing the importance of holistic support for students’ well-being and academic success as well as retention in the nursing program. Also, offering language courses as electives recognizes the value of communication skills in nursing practice and provides opportunities for personal and professional development.

For first-year nursing students, clinical stressors are inevitable and must be given proper attention. Recognizing nursing students’ perspectives on the challenges and stressors experienced in clinical training is the first step in overcoming these challenges. In nursing schools, providing an optimal clinical environment as well as increasing supervision and evaluation of students’ practices should be emphasized. Our findings demonstrate that first-year nursing students are exposed to a variety of different stressors. Identifying the stressors, pressures, and obstacles that first-year students encounter in the clinical setting can assist nursing educators in resolving these issues and can contribute to students’ professional development and survival to allow them to remain in the profession. To overcome stressors, students frequently employ problem-solving approaches or coping mechanisms. The majority of nursing students report stress at different levels and use a variety of positive and negative coping techniques to manage stress.

The present results may not be generalizable to other nursing institutions because this study used a purposive sample along with a qualitative approach and was limited to one university in the Middle East. Furthermore, the students self-reported their stress and its causes, which may have introduced reporting bias. The students may also have over or underreported stress or coping mechanisms because of fear of repercussions or personal reasons, even though the confidentiality of their data was ensured. Further studies are needed to evaluate student stressors and coping now that measures have been introduced to support students. Time will tell if these strategies are being used effectively by both students and clinical personnel or if they need to be readdressed. Finally, we need to explore the perceptions of clinical faculty towards supervising students in their first clinical practicum so that clinical stressors can be handled effectively.

Data availability

The data sets are available with the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Almarwani AM. The effect of integrating a nursing licensure examination preparation course into a nursing program curriculum: a quasi-experimental study. Saudi J Health Sci. 2022;11:184–9.

Article   Google Scholar  

Horntvedt MT, Nordsteien A, Fermann T, Severinsson E. Strategies for teaching evidence-based practice in nursing education: a thematic literature review. BMC Med Educ. 2018;18:172.

Article   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Larsson M, Sundler AJ, Blomberg K, Bisholt B. The clinical learning environment during clinical practice in postgraduate district nursing students’ education: a cross-sectional study. Nurs Open. 2023;10:879–88.

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Sellberg M, Palmgren PJ, Möller R. A cross-sectional study of clinical learning environments across four undergraduate programs using the undergraduate clinical education environment measure. BMC Med Educ. 2021;21:258.

Saifan A, Devadas B, Mekkawi M, Amoor H, Matizha P, James J, et al. Managing the theory-practice gap in nursing education and practice: hearing the voices of nursing students in the United Arab Emirates. J Nurs Manag. 2021;29:1869–79.

Flott EA, Linden L. The clinical learning environment in nursing education: a concept analysis. J Adv Nurs. 2016;72:501–13.

Kalyani MN, Jamshidi N, Molazem Z, Torabizadeh C, Sharif F. How do nursing students experience the clinical learning environment and respond to their experiences? A qualitative study. BMJ Open. 2019;9:e028052.

Mahasneh D, Shoqirat N, Alsaraireh A, Singh C, Thorpe L. From learning on mannequins to practicing on patients: nursing students’ first-time experience of clinical placement in Jordan. SAGE Open Nurs. 2021;7:23779608211004298.

PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Stubin C. Clinical stress among undergraduate nursing students: perceptions of clinical nursing faculty. Int J Nurs Educ Scholarsh. 2020;17:20190111.

Ahmed WAM. Anxiety and related symptoms among critical care nurses in Albaha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. AIMS Med Sci. 2015;2:303–9.

Alhassan. Duke Phillips. 2024.

Ekstedt M, Lindblad M, Löfmark A. Nursing students’ perception of the clinical learning environment and supervision in relation to two different supervision models - a comparative cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs. 2019;18:49.

Bradshaw C, Murphy Tighe S, Doody O. Midwifery students’ experiences of their clinical internship: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2018;68:213–7.

McCarthy B, Trace A, O’Donovan M, O’Regan P, Brady-Nevin C, O’Shea M, et al. Coping with stressful events: a pre-post-test of a psycho-educational intervention for undergraduate nursing and midwifery students. Nurse Educ Today. 2018;61:273–80.

Chaabane S, Chaabna K, Bhagat S, Abraham A, Doraiswamy S, Mamtani R, et al. Perceived stress, stressors, and coping strategies among nursing students in the Middle East and North Africa: an overview of systematic reviews. Syst Rev. 2021;10:136.

Pines EW, Rauschhuber ML, Norgan GH, Cook JD, Canchola L, Richardson C, et al. Stress resiliency, psychological empowerment and conflict management styles among baccalaureate nursing students. J Adv Nurs. 2012;68:1482–93.

Lazarus RS. Coping theory and research: past, present, and future. Psychosom Med. 1993;55:234–47.

Article   CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Boyd MA. Essentials of psychiatric nursing. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2017.

Google Scholar  

Labrague LJ, McEnroe-Petitte DM, Gloe D, Thomas L, Papathanasiou IV, Tsaras K. A literature review on stress and coping strategies in nursing students. J Ment Health. 2017;26:471–80.

Ni C, Lo D, Liu X, Ma J, Xu S, Li L. Chinese female nursing students’ coping strategies, self-esteem and related factors in different years of school. J Nurs Educ Pract. 2012;2:33–41.

Jan LK, Popescu L. Israel’s nursing students’ stress sources and coping strategies during their first clinical experience in hospital wards-a qualitative research. Soc Work Rev / Rev Asistenta Soc. 2014;13:163–88.

Tung YJ, Lo KKH, Ho RCM, Tam WSW. Prevalence of depression among nursing students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nurse Educ Today. 2018;63:119–29.

Speziale HS, Streubert HJ, Carpenter DR. Qualitative research in nursing: advancing the humanistic imperative. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2011.

Graneheim UH, Lundman B. Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse Educ Today. 2004;24:105–12.

Bryman A. Integrating quantitative and qualitative research: how is it done? Qual Res. 2006;6:97–113.

Holloway I, Wheeler S. Qualitative research in nursing and healthcare. New York, NY: Wiley; 2013.

Richards L, Morse J. A user’s guide to qualitative methods. London, UK: Sage; 2007.

Lincoln Y, Guba EG. The SAGE handbook of qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications Inc; 2017.

Park S, Park KS. Family stigma: a concept analysis. Asian Nurs Res. 2014;8:165–71.

Onieva-Zafra MD, Fernández-Muñoz JJ, Fernández-Martínez E, García-Sánchez FJ, Abreu-Sánchez A, Parra-Fernández ML. Anxiety, perceived stress and coping strategies in nursing students: a cross-sectional, correlational, descriptive study. BMC Med Educ. 2020;20:370.

Albloushi M, Ferguson L, Stamler L, Bassendowski S, Hellsten L, Kent-Wilkinson A. Saudi female nursing students experiences of sense of belonging in the clinical settings: a qualitative study. Nurse Educ Pract. 2019;35:69–74.

Arkan B, Ordin Y, Yılmaz D. Undergraduate nursing students’ experience related to their clinical learning environment and factors affecting to their clinical learning process. Nurse Educ Pract. 2018;29:127–32.

Bhurtun HD, Azimirad M, Saaranen T, Turunen H. Stress and coping among nursing students during clinical training: an integrative review. J Nurs Educ. 2019;58:266–72.

Jamshidi N, Molazem Z, Sharif F, Torabizadeh C, Kalyani MN. The challenges of nursing students in the clinical learning environment: a qualitative study. ScientificWorldJournal. 2016;2016:1846178.

Porter SL. First year nursing students’ perceptions of stress and resilience during their initial clinical placement and the introduction of a stress management app: a mixed methods approach. A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Edinburgh Napier University, for the award of Doctor of Philosophy. 2019. https://www.napier.ac.uk/~/media/worktribe/output-2086663/first-year-nursing-students-perceptions-of-stress-and-resilience-during-their-initial.pdf

Panda S, Dash M, John J, Rath K, Debata A, Swain D, et al. Challenges faced by student nurses and midwives in clinical learning environment - A systematic review and meta-synthesis. Nurse Educ Today. 2021;101:104875.

Ahmadi G, Shahriari M, Keyvanara M, Kohan S. Midwifery students’ experiences of learning clinical skills in Iran: a qualitative study. Int J Med Educ. 2018;9:64–71.

Harrison-White K, Owens J. Nurse link lecturers’ perceptions of the challenges facing student nurses in clinical learning environments: a qualitative study. Nurse Educ Pract. 2018;32:78–83.

Grobecker PA. A sense of belonging and perceived stress among baccalaureate nursing students in clinical placements. Nurse Educ Today. 2016;36:178–83.

Msiska G, Kamanga M, Chilemba E, Msosa A, Munkhondya TE. Sources of stress among undergraduate nursing students during clinical practice: a Malawian perspective. Open J Nurs. 2019;9:1.

Joolaee S, Amiri SRJ, Farahani MA, Varaei S. Iranian nursing students’ preparedness for clinical training: a qualitative study. Nurse Educ Today. 2015;35:e13–7.

Günay U, Kılınç G. The transfer of theoretical knowledge to clinical practice by nursing students and the difficulties they experience: a qualitative study. Nurse Educ Today. 2018;65:81–6.

Farzi S, Shahriari M, Farzi S. Exploring the challenges of clinical education in nursing and strategies to improve it: a qualitative study. J Educ Health Promot. 2018;7:115.

Hamaideh SH, Al-Omari H, Al-Modallal H. Nursing students’ perceived stress and coping behaviors in clinical training in Saudi Arabia. J Ment Health. 2017;26:197–203.

Yaghoobi A, Mohagheghi H, Zade MY, Ganji K, Olfatii N. The effect of time management training on test anxiety and academic achievement motivation among high school students. J Sch Psychol. 2014;3:131–44.

Kebriaei A, Bidgoli MS, Saeedi A. Relationship between use of time management skills and satisfaction with spending time among students of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. J Med Educ Dev. 2014;6:79–88.

Chen YW, Hung CH. Predictors of Taiwanese baccalaureate nursing students’ physio-psycho-social responses during clinical practicum. Nurse Educ Today. 2014;34:73–7.

Ab Latif R, Mat Nor MZ. Stressors and coping strategies during clinical practice among diploma nursing students. Malays J Med Sci. 2019;26:88–98.

Al-Yateem N, Almarzouqi A, Dias JM, Saifan A, Timmins F. Nursing in the United Arab Emirates: current challenges and opportunities. J Nurs Manag. 2021;29:109–12.

Baraz-Pordanjani S, Memarian R, Vanaki Z. Damaged professional identity as a barrier to Iranian nursing students’ clinical learning: a qualitative study. J Clin Nurs Midwifery. 2014;3:1–15.

Labrague LJ, McEnroe-Petitte DM, Papathanasiou IV, Edet OB, Tsaras K, Leocadio MC, et al. Stress and coping strategies among nursing students: an international study. J Ment Health. 2018;27:402–8.

Madian AAEM, Abdelaziz MM, Ahmed HAE. Level of stress and coping strategies among nursing students at Damanhour University, Egypt. Am J Nurs Res. 2019;7:684–96.

Wu CS, Rong JR, Huang MZ. Factors associated with perceived stress of clinical practice among associate degree nursing students in Taiwan. BMC Nurs. 2021;20:89.

Zhao FF, Lei XL, He W, Gu YH, Li DW. The study of perceived stress, coping strategy and self-efficacy of Chinese undergraduate nursing students in clinical practice. Int J Nurs Pract. 2015;21:401–9.

Bektaş H, Terkes N, Özer Z. Stress and ways of coping among first year nursing students: a Turkish perspective. J Hum Sci. 2018;15:319–30.

John B, Al-Sawad M. Perceived stress in clinical areas and emotional intelligence among baccalaureate nursing students. J Indian Acad Appl Psychol. 2015;41:76–85.

Mapfumo JS, Chitsiko N, Chireshe R. Teaching practice generated stressors and coping mechanisms among student teachers in Zimbabwe. S Afr J Educ. 2012;32:155–66.

Timmins F, Corroon AM, Byrne G, Mooney B. The challenge of contemporary nurse education programmes. Perceived stressors of nursing students: mental health and related lifestyle issues. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2011;18:758–66.

Hegberg NJ, Tone EB. Physical activity and stress resilience: considering those at-risk for developing mental health problems. Ment Health Phys Act. 2015;8:1–7.

Shudifat RM, Al-Husban RY. Perceived sources of stress among first-year nursing students in Jordan. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2015;53:37–43.

El Ansari W, Adetunji H, Oskrochi R. Food and mental health: relationship between food and perceived stress and depressive symptoms among university students in the United Kingdom. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2014;22:90–7.

Dias JM, Aderibigbe SA, Abraham MS. Undergraduate nursing students’ mentoring experiences in the clinical practicum: the United Arab Emirates (UAE) perspective. J Nurs Manag. 2022;30:4304–13.

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to all second year nursing students who voluntarily participated in the study.

No funding was received. Not applicable.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, POBox, Sharjah, 272272, UAE

Jacqueline Maria Dias, Muhammad Arsyad Subu, Nabeel Al-Yateem, Fatma Refaat Ahmed, Syed Azizur Rahman, Mini Sara Abraham, Sareh Mirza Forootan, Farzaneh Ahmad Sarkhosh & Fatemeh Javanbakh

Health Care Management, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Syed Azizur Rahman

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

JMD conceptualized the idea and designed the methodology, formal analysis, writing original draft and project supervision and mentoring. MAS prepared the methodology and conducted the qualitative interviews and analyzed the methodology and writing of original draft and project supervision. NY, FRA, SAR, MSA writing review and revising the draft. SMF, FAS, FJ worked with MAS on the formal analysis and prepared the first draft.All authors reviewed the final manuscipt of the article.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jacqueline Maria Dias .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate.

The Research Ethics Committee (REC) under) the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies UOS approved this study (REC 19-12-03-01-S). Additionally, a written consent was obtained from all participants and the process followed the recommended policies and guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

Dr Fatma Refaat Ahmed is an editorial board member in BMC Nursing. Other authors do not have any conflict of interest

Additional information

Publisher’s note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary Material 1

Rights and permissions.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ ) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Dias, J.M., Subu, M.A., Al-Yateem, N. et al. Nursing students’ stressors and coping strategies during their first clinical training: a qualitative study in the United Arab Emirates. BMC Nurs 23 , 322 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01962-5

Download citation

Received : 06 January 2024

Accepted : 22 April 2024

Published : 11 May 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01962-5

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Clinical practicums
• Coping strategies
• Nursing students

BMC Nursing

ISSN: 1472-6955

• General enquiries: [email protected]