Nursing students' views on an ideal clinical instructor: A qualitative meta-synthesis

Background: Nursing students often face challenges during clinical placements, such as difficult patient interactions, limited supervision, and a mismatch between internship length and learning goals. These challenges can increase stress, negatively affect students' well-being, and influence their career choices. Aims: The authors aimed to identify the characteristics of an ideal clinical instructor from the perspectives of nursing students within the clinical learning environment. Design and methods: A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted. Two authors independently performed the literature search, quality appraisal, and data extraction. The findings were analyzed thematically using the Lucas framework for thematic synthesis. Articles published between January 2015 and June 2025 were retrieved from six electronic databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, ClinicalKey, and ProQuest. Results: A total of 44 qualitative studies from 19 countries were included, encompassing the perspectives of 1688 nursing students. Six major themes were identified: structured pre-briefing; effective communication and collaborative relationships; fair and objective evaluation with constructive feedback; clinical competency; instructional strategies; and personal attributes; Eight subthemes were also synthesized: fostering critical thinking and active engagement; intentional and creative planning of clinical learning experiences; supporting independent learning with supervision; professional appearance; equity, diversity, and inclusion; authoritative yet gentle; passionate instruction; and emotional availability and psychological safety. Conclusion: Gaining insight into how nursing students view the ideal clinical instructor can help improve the standard of clinical teaching. The selection, education, and training of clinical instructors in nursing colleges should be guided by these findings.