American Research Journal of Nursing Original Article ISSN 2379-2922 Volume 1, Issue 2, June 2015 www.arjonline.org 13 Thomasian Nursing Education and Clinical Practice: A Gap Analysis Marica G. Estrada 1* , Ma. Socorro S. GuanHing 1,2 , and Susan N. Maravilla 1 1 College of Nursing, 2 The Graduate School University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila, Philippines 1015 Abstract: Background: The highly-evolving and technologically-advancing nursing practice necessitates the employment of competent nurses in medical institutions and thus, compels nursing institutions to enhance strategies to address the needs of various stakeholders, particularly the employers and patients. Nevertheless, a continuously growing rift in the clinical application of theoretical knowledge has existed over the years across the globe. Hence, our study analyzed the gap between Thomasian nursing education and clinical practice through determining the extent of preparedness of Thomasian Registered Nurses during their first year of professional practice. Methods: After ethics review exemption, we conducted a comparative-descriptive study among 35 purposively- selected appraisal reports of Thomasian nurses in a tertiary medical institution. Power analysis revealed a power of 0.91 and an effect size of 0.36. We utilized the performance appraisal r eport form which had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93, 0.93, and 0.95 for the knowledge/skills, productivity, and personal attribute subsections, respectively. Attendance and conduct, however, depended on log records. Data were analyzed using MANOVA. Results: Most subjects had less than 6 months clinical experience (65.70%), were assigned in Medical-Surgical wards (65.70%), and demonstrated above average clinical performance (85.70%). Comparatively, the over-all performance of Thomasian Registered Nurses did not significantly differ regardless of the length of clinical experience (F=0.36, p=0.84) or area of assignment (F=0.39, p=0.93). Conclusion: Thomasian Registered Nurses are competent to enter the nursing practice and provide patient care. Further, the undergraduate program of UST has sufficiently prepared their students to be competent registered nurses. Nevertheless, it is imperative that nursing institutions constantly improve their strategies considering the ever changing nursing practice and standard. Keywords: Thomasian Nursing Education, Thomasian Registered Nurses, Clinical Practice, Performance Evaluation I. INTRODUCTION A science-driven and research-grounded clinical practice is a major thrust in the nursing field (Dadgara, Parvizy, &Peyrovi, 2012; Baxter, 2006; Thomson, 1998). Nevertheless, an increasing rift between nursing theory and nursing practice has been presented by numerous studies over the years (Ajani &Moez, 2011; Scully, 2010; Gllagher, 2004;Spouse, 2001; Landers, 2000 Corlett, 2000; Severinsson, 1998). The clinical application of the theories and concepts taught during the baccalaureate nursing program remains a continuously perplexing objective, especially among new nurse graduates (Wolff, Pesut, & Regan, 2010; Ajani et al., 2011), and hence, the readiness among new graduate nurses in assuming professional practice must be critically attended, especially with the increasing demands of competent nurses in the healthcare industry. Primarily, nursing education ensures professional clinical competencies and enhances the quality of nursing care (Forsberg, 2011; Tseng, 2011). Clinical learning is a key area that explicates the importance of a nursing student’s performance in the clinical setting. Further, clinical learning provides the students an avenue to practice their skills, to develop their professional identity, to increase their knowledge, and to apply the theoretical and practical knowledge in the clinical setting (Peyravi, 2005; Atack et al., 2000; Kirkpartricketal., 1991; Wills, 1997). In the Philippines, student nurses of the 4-year baccalaureate nursing programs can immediately apply for the nursing licensure examination within weeks after graduation and enter the clinical practice as licensed nurses. Berkow, Virkkstis, Stewart, & Conway (2009) even posited that around 10% of the current nursing work force in acute care settings are new nurse graduates. As a consequence, new graduate nurses are rapidly deployed into * Corresponding Author: estradamarica@yahoo.com