Caring in process: A 3-year qualitative longitudinal study of nursing students

Abstract

Aim: This paper aims to describe caring perceptions and behaviors among student nurses in Italy as they progress through their nursing education.

Background: As nursing students are potential nurses of the future, there is an expectation that in addition to appropriate academic qualifications, they will develop appropriate caring behaviors/attitudes. However, there has been some evidence that the educational process does not always modify their caring perceptions/behaviors or that the direction of the change is not always positive.

Design: A qualitative longitudinal design with three data collection points, was performed from October 2013 to October 2016 at the University of Verona, Trento Campus.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted at the time of entry into a 3-year bachelor's degree program in nursing and at the end of the second and third years. Observation of the students during their clinical practice was carried out at the end of each of the three years of education. Thirty students commenced the study and 24 finished. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach.

Results: The iterative process of analyzing interviews and observations resulted in nine themes collectively from all three stages: establishing a trusting relationship with the patient, satisfying the patient's needs, paying attention, being respectful, being competent, giving time, being concerned with the emotional dimension, acting within context to facilitate caring actions and giving information.

Conclusions: At the end of the third year the students' concept of caring was enhanced; their initial generic or lay view of caring turned into an intentional, competent, conscious, accountable and realistic caring approach.

Keywords: Caring behaviors; Caring perceptions; Nursing students; Qualitative longitudinal study.