STRESS DURING CLINICAL POSTINGS IN ANAESTHESIA AND OPERATION THEATRE TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION: A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Background:Clinical posting is an essential part of Anaesthesia and Operation Theatre Technology training, allowing students to apply the knowledge gained in the classroom to real clinical practice. During their clinical postings in operation theatres, intensive care units (ICUs), emergency departments, labour rooms, and post-anaesthesia care units (PACUs), students develop the technical skills, clinical competence, and professional behaviour required for safe and effective perioperative patient care. Although clinical postings are important for professional development, they can also be challenging. Factors such as a heavy academic workload, unfamiliar clinical procedures, fear of making mistakes, communication difficulties, language barriers, and limited clinical experience can lead to significant stress among students. Objective: This narrative review aims to summarize the available literature on stress among Anaesthesia and Operation Theatre Technology students during clinical postings, focusing on the major sources of stress, its effects on students, assessment methods, coping strategies, and interventions to reduce stress.