RESUMEN
AIMS: This study aimed to explore nursing and midwifery students' evaluation of the clinical learning environment and mentoring and to identify distinct student profiles relating to their perceptions. DESIGN: This study employed a cross-sectional design. SETTINGS: The study population included nursing and midwifery students in a university hospital in Finland. PARTICIPANTS: All nursing and midwifery students who completed their clinical placement were invited to take part in the study in the academic year 2017-2018. METHODS: The data (N = 2,609) were gathered through an online survey using the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale. The data were analysed using a K-mean cluster algorithm to identify nursing and midwifery students' profiles. RESULTS: The findings from this study indicate four distinct profiles (A, B, C, & D) of nursing and midwifery students in relation to the clinical learning environment and mentoring. Profile A (N = 1,352) students evaluated their clinical learning environment and mentoring to the highest level (mean varied from 9.44-8.38); and Profile D (N = 151)- to the lowest (mean varied from 5.93-4.00). CONCLUSION: The findings highlight that nursing and midwifery students evaluate their clinical learning environment and mentoring more highly when: they have a named mentor, student and mentor discuss learning goals, there is a final assessment in clinical learning, the mentor's guidance skills support student learning, the clinical learning supports the student's professional development and pre-clinical teaching in an educational institution supports learning in the clinical placement. IMPACT: Clinical learning plays an important role in nurse and midwifery education. Mentoring of clinical practice was shown to have a great influence on students' perceptions of their success in clinical learning. We suggest that clinical practice should be strengthened by the building of collaboration between nursing teachers and registered nurses.