Exploring Taiwanese nursing students’ lived experiences of paediatric clinical practice

Abstract

Background: Most studies on Taiwanese nursing students' clinical practice have been quantitative studies and few qualitative studies were found on nursing students' clinical practice, particularly their specific learning experiences in paediatrics. In addition, nursing students in paediatric clinical practice may experience additional stresses and challenges due to children's pre-developed cognitive and communication abilities. Thus, this study was undertaken to explore Taiwanese nursing students' experiences of paediatric clinical practice. Purpose: This study applied a Husserlian phenomenological approach to explore undergraduate nursing students' experiences when practising in paediatric clinical settings. Method: Nursing students were purposively recruited from a university in central Taiwan. The study sample comprised 17 students. Data were collected from November 2008 and August 2009 by semistructured interviews with broad and open-ended questions to gain rich information. Interview data were analysed using Colaizzi's method. Findings: Analysis of interviews yielded four main themes: feeling challenge by interaction with sick child/families, sharpening comprehensive knowledge and skills, consolidating working attitudes and beliefs, and suffering from non-supportive relationships. Conclusion/Implications for Practice: Students felt that clinical practice provided them with opportunities to decrease the theory-knowledge gap and enhance their confidence with their clinical skills. Students also experienced the importance of cooperation among medical team members and caring, which led to better working atmosphere and patient care. However, students felt very stressful at the beginning when interaction with or performing nursing activities for sick children and their families. Thus, clinical teachers firstly should demonstrate how to integrate children's cognitive developments, therapeutic play, drawing, and so on, into communication process or nursing care activities to decrease students' frustrations. Secondly, clinical teachers should teach students how to apply the family-centred care and communication skills into clinical situations to enhance the quality of nursing care.