BACKGROUND: Clinical internships are crucial in nursing education
however, they often present challenges that can elicit negative emotions among students, especially among international nursing undergraduates. Despite its importance, there is a lack of research on the experiences of African nursing undergraduates during clinical internships in China. AIM: To explore the clinical internship experiences of African undergraduate nursing students within the Chinese healthcare system. METHOD: A descriptive qualitative study design was adopted. Thirteen African undergraduate nursing students with over three months of clinical internship experience in China were recruited through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data on their experiences. Conventional content analysis was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Five categories and twelve subcategories were identified through the analysis: multiple challenges (language is an issue, identity embarrassment, peer pressure)
accepting challenges (having to accept, being able to accept)
making personal efforts (self-image managing, self-reflecting and improving)
being not alone (preceptors are strong backings, mutual assistance among fellow students, patients provide trust and warmth)
and growing up as a real nurse (increasing nursing knowledge and skills, enhancing nursing professional quality). CONCLUSIONS: The findings offer nursing colleges and hospitals a deeper understanding of the specific challenges encountered by African undergraduate nursing students during their clinical internships in China. This study also highlights the students' handling of complex issues and the subsequent positive changes they experienced.