Perceptions of "caring" in nursing education by Pakistani nursing students: an exploratory study

Mediating Effect of Motivation on the Relationship Between Lecturer Experience and Learning Environment With Caring Character Among Undergraduate Nursing Student in Indonesia

Introduction

Caring is learned through faculty role-modeling and clinical interactions, enhancing nursing students' caring character. Relationship between caring, motivation, teacher experience, and learning environment remains uncertain.

Objective

The present study aimed to explore the relationship between their caring characters, motivation, lecturer experience, and learning environment among undergraduate nursing students in Indonesia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2022 and February 2023, recruiting 550 undergraduate nursing students from 10 universities in West Java province, Indonesia. The study included instruments such as students' perceptions of learning, academic motivation scale, service quality assessment of instructional laboratories, and caring character learning instrument. The Bootstrap analysis was used to analyze the mediating effect of study variable.

Results

The study involved participants aged 20-25 years. The mean scores for caring characters, lecturer experience, motivation, and learning environment were 2.18 ± 0.97, 3.46 ± 1.20, 4.32 ± 1.53, and 5.96 ± 2.08, respectively. The results showed significant direct effects of lecturer experience on caring character, mediating effects of learning environment, motivation, and chain mediating effects of learning environment and motivation. The direct effect accounted for 44.34% of the total effect, while the indirect effect was 35.21%.

Conclusions

The study found that learning environment and motivation mediate the relationship between lecturer experience and caring characters among undergraduate nursing students in West Java, Indonesia. Emphasizing best practices and creating a student-friendly environment is crucial for fostering guidance and support.

Measuring Professional Values Among Jordanian and Palestinian Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Comparative Study

BACKGROUND

Professional values provide a road map for guiding the behaviors of nursing students during practice and are considered standards for acceptable actions during the provision of nursing care. Nursing educators play a vital role in helping their students embrace professional values in their future career.

PURPOSE

This study was designed to assess and compare professional values among Jordanian and Palestinian undergraduate nursing students.

METHODS

In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 182 Jordanian and 353 Palestinian nursing students completed the Nurses Professional Values Scale-Revised (NPVS-R), which covers five domains (caring, trust, justice, activism, and professionalism).

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 22.5 years, and most (56.6%) were female. The mean total score for the NPVS-R was 3.85, with the "justice" dimension receiving the highest mean score (4.07) and the "activism" dimension receiving the lowest mean score (3.63). The differences in mean NPVS-R total and dimension scores between the Jordanian and Palestinian students were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study support that Jordanian and Palestinian undergraduate nursing students have an acceptable level of professional values, with the NPVS-R justice domain scoring relatively high and the NPVS-R activism domain scoring relatively low. The authors hope that the results of this study encourage nursing educators to continue improving professional values among their students, especially with regard to the relatively low-rated dimensions.

Perception of care from the perspective of nursing students: A study using photovoice, storytelling and poetry

BACKGROUND

The Higher Education in Nursing requires providing students with skills such as critical and reflective thinking about the actions to be carried out so that they are capable of providing humanised and quality care in an increasingly complex and technified society. Participatory teaching methodologies promote the development of these skills.

OBJECTIVES

to explore the potential of photovoice, storytelling and poetry as instruments capable of encouraging reflection. To identify through images (photovoice) and poetic narratives (storytelling and poetry) the perception that students of the nursing degree express about nursing care.

DESIGN

qualitative study in the framework of the socio-critical paradigm, using photovoice, storytelling and poetry in the field of care.

PARTICIPANTS

first-year undergraduate nursing students at two Spanish universities in the academic year 2021-2022.

METHODOLOGY

48 images were shown and students were asked to select one, write a narrative and generate a short poem connected to the image. Subsequently, a content analysis was conducted of those poems evoked by the five photographs most chosen by the students. The analysis was supported by qualitative data analysis software. A total of 67 contributions from 67 students were analysed.

RESULTS

the concepts addressed in the poems and the compositions generated reveal how critical humanist thinking and reflection on the subject of care developed. The topics identified were care, accompaniment throughout the life cycle, working on the basis of values and caring for small details as subcategories of nursing care.

CONCLUSION

The combination of different tools in university education has encouraged reflection and enabled students to identify for themselves the importance of humanised care. Working on the theoretical foundation in an active way can reduce the gap between theory and practice and foster the empowerment of the nursing identity.

"Compassion is the mainstay of nursing care": A qualitative study on the perception of care and compassion in senior nursing students

PURPOSE

To describe nursing students' perceptions of care and compassion in the context of the clinical environment.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This phenomenological study data were collected by focus groups and Giorgi et al. stages used in the data analysis.

FINDINGS

Sixteen students participated in this study. Four themes and 12 subthemes were determined. The themes were "Discovering the existence of care and facing up to care", "advancing on the road to becoming a nurse: from theory to practice," "compassionate care, beyond medical care," and "the effect of nursing education on professional compassion."

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

This study showed that nursing students grew by giving care and knowledge. In addition, compassionate care is gained by real-life stories and a supportive environment.

Professional values in nursing students in Jordan: baccalaureate nursing students’ perception

Objective

Baccalaureate degree curricula consist of several professional values required for nursing students, which are taught in many ways. This study aimed to explore the perception of baccalaureate Jordanian nursing students regarding professional values and to assess the relationship between students’ demographics and their perception of professional values.

Methods

The study design was a descriptive, cross-sectional correlational design. A convenience sample of 182 Jordanian undergraduate nursing students enrolled at one of the most prominent universities in Jordan who completed and submitted a self-administered Nurses’ Professional Values Scale (NPVS) was considered for this study.

Results

The NPVS total score ranged from 37 to 130, with a relatively high total score mean (99.68 with a mean of 3.83 out of 5). The highest score domain in NPVS was “Justice” with a mean of 3.97, while the lowest ranked domain was “Activism” with a mean of 3.69. The correlation coefficient showed no statistically significant correlation between age nor accumulative students’ average with a total score of Nurses Professional Values Scale-revised (NPVS-R) and its subdomains. The t test results showed that gender and type of students’ enrollment (regular vs. upgrading) did not affect the means of NPVS-R and its subdomains. But differences were found to be statistically significant between the means of first year students and fourth year students in the total score of NPVS-R.

Conclusions

Findings of the study alert nursing educators to pay more attention to the importance of promoting the values related to “activism” and “professionalism” among nursing students. Suggestions for enhancing the roles of peer supervision and providing peer review to colleagues would contribute to improving nursing students’ performance and raising self-awareness because when nursing educators pay more attention to the items of these domains, better future nursing professionals, leaders, and researchers can be gained. Also, understanding nursing students’ perceptions of the importance of professional values and the difficulties in its application would be vital to enlighten educators about the areas that need improvement.

Nursing and Midwifery Students’ Perspectives of Faculty Caring Behaviours: A Phenomenological Study

Aims:

The study aimed at exploring faculty caring behaviours from the perspectives of university students enrolled in Nursing and Midwifery programme at one of the public universities in Malawi.

Background:

The concept of caring has to a larger extent been defined in the context of nursing practice and rarely in the context of nursing education. Caring for students and nurturing a caring attitude in nursing education is the first place for students to learn about the most significant values of their profession.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to describe faculty caring behaviours from the perspectives of university students who were studying for a degree in Nursing and Midwifery programmes at one of the public universities in Malawi.

Methods:

A qualitative approach utilising descriptive phenomenology as a study design was used in this study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews at a public university in Malawi from ten (10) nursing and midwifery students who were purposively selected. All ethical considerations were followed. Data were analysed using Colaizzi’s (1978) method.

Results:

Five themes emerged that defined faculty caring behaviours from the student’s perspective: (1) Being available, (2) Being respectful, (3) Seeing the person in the student, (4) Being fair and (5) Communication.

Conclusion

Findings have shown that nursing and midwifery faculty display both caring and uncaring behaviours. The study recommends the establishment of a curriculum with caring as one of its defining philosophies; the establishment of educational faculty - student interactions based on moral and human caring principles, and advocating for faculty to embrace faculty caring to improve nursing and midwifery student's professional socialisation.

Understanding the Expectations of Nursing Students Following the First Clinical Internship: A Qualitative Study

The objective of this study was to describe how nursing students' expectations are achieved after the first clinical internship. A longitudinal qualitative study using purposive sampling was used in a public nursing school in Barcelona, Spain. Fifteen nursing students attending their internship for the first time. Data were collected in 2019 using semi-structured interviews until data saturation was reached. Interviews were conducted before and after the completion of the first clinical internship. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The students experienced some negative issues they did not think about, such as excessive homework, feeling a worker, not a student, loneliness, and learnings influenced by chance. Positive assessments of the accessibility of the placement location and the experience of the clinical instructor have a powerful influence on the student, allowing for the assessment and integration of the student in the health team. The practical learning is mediated by chance in terms of center, service, teacher, and clinical instructor assigned. It is crucial to establish consensual measures among all the actors involved to facilitate the objectivity of teaching and learning.

Experiences of student nurses on role modelling of a therapeutic approach by registered nurses: Recommendations for improvement

BACKGROUND

A therapeutic approach involves portraying the attributes of being polite towards fellow human beings and patients, respecting them irrespective of their circumstances and having sympathy and compassion for them. Knowledge of therapeutic approach is the initial step towards gaining patients' trust and developing student nurses' communication with patients; however, theoretical knowledge alone may not increase application in practice. Role modelling of a therapeutic approach increases patient care satisfaction and enables student nurses to therapeutically communicate with patients, colleagues and all other staff members. The most appropriate way for student nurses to learn what it means to portray therapeutic approach is seeing registered nurses' role modelling it.

OBJECTIVES

To make recommendations for the enhancement of role modelling of therapeutic approach by registered nurses for student nurses at a regional public hospital.

METHOD

A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive, phenomenological and contextual design was used. Three focus group interviews were conducted. Data were analysed using Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological method. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical principles were applied throughout the research.

RESULTS

One central theme with three main themes and related sub-themes indicated that student nurses had negative experiences on role modelling of therapeutic approach owing to registered nurses' non-therapeutic communication, lack of professionalism and ethical conduct as well as poor quality patient care. However, only the recommendations seeking to address the experiences of non-therapeutic communication which included negative attitudes of registered nurses towards patients, lack of provision of patient information, poor handling of patients' complaints as well as racial discrimination re-handling of patients' complaints will be highlighted.

CONCLUSION

The majority of student nurses had negative experiences on role modelling of therapeutic approach by registered nurses. They needed registered nurses to improve their approach towards patients. It is expected that the implementation of the recommendations will enhance therapeutic approach to patients.

The value of caring behavior and its impact on students' self-efficacy: Perceptions of undergraduate nursing students

BACKGROUND

Clinical instructors are the key mediators in helping students conquer clinical experiences by preparing them for clinical workplaces. The caring behavior of instructors plays an important role in the instructor-student relationship.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to (a) assess the perception of nursing students of clinical instructors' caring behavior and (b) explore the correlation between their perception of instructors' caring behavior and their self-efficacy.

DESIGN

A quantitative descriptive correlation design was adopted.

SETTING

The sample was collected from the faculty of nursing at a major governmental university for females in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

PARTICIPANTS

A sample of nursing students (N = 200) was recruited.

METHODS

The data were collected using the inventory for nursing students' perceptions of instructor caring (NSPIC) and general self-efficacy (GSE) scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics, such as Pearson r correlation and regression analysis, were used.

RESULTS

The total mean of NSPIC was moderate to high (mean = 3.06, SD = 1.04). The level of GSE among students was high (mean = 3.45, SD = 0.849). NSPIC is significantly correlated with its GSE (r = .282). In addition, GSE turned out to be a major indicator of caring behavior, with P = .021 and R²  = 0.642.

CONCLUSION

Caring relationships between clinical instructors and nursing students enable students to grow as caring professionals. Therefore, nursing programs must have highly qualified clinical instructors to teach and train students and be a good role model in the workplace.

The Perceptions of Professional Values among Students at a Spanish Nursing School

(1) Background: This study aims to reflect student nurses' perceptions of professional values across the four training years. (2) Methods: This study was designed as a cross-sectional study; data were collected using the Nurses' Professional Values Scale-Revised, adapted by Basurto-Hoyuelos. A total of 315 student nurses participated from a Nursing Faculty in Spain representing each of the four academic years. (3) Results: Students' perceptions of professional values were significantly correlated with their academic year. Overall, students' scores were higher in the ethics dimension. The two highest scores were for Maintain patient confidentiality for years 1 and 2 (4.77 and 4.68, respectively) and Safeguard patients' right to privacy for years 3 and 4 (4.95 and 4.98, respectively). Lower scores were observed in the professional expertise dimension across all years, and corresponded to a single item Participate in peer review (3.51, 3.38, 3.98, and 3.26, respectively). (4) Conclusions: This study is relevant as it highlights how nursing students' perceptions of professional values change overtime, even during the four years of their training. The ethics dimension was the most highly regarded across all academic years. However, the professional expertise dimension requires greater attention throughout the degree as students regarded it as less important for their immediate future.

An international cross-cultural study of nursing students' perceptions of caring

BACKGROUND

Single studies suggest that nursing students perceive caring as more an instrumental than expressive behaviour and indicate some differences between caring perceptions in junior and senior nursing students. However, there are limited studies investigating caring perceptions in nursing students across multiple cultures.

OBJECTIVE

To determine perceptions of caring in Slovene, Croatian, Chinese and Russian nursing students and explore whether there are statistically significant differences in perceptions of caring between countries and between first and third-year nursing students.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

The study included 604 nursing students enrolled in first and third year in seven different nursing faculties in four countries: Slovenia; China; Croatia; and the Russian Federation.

METHODS

The 25-item Caring Dimension Inventory (CDI-25) was used to measure caring perceptions. We also included demographic questions regarding age, gender, country, year of study and type of study. Demographic data were analysed using descriptive analysis while a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) adjusted for unequal sample sizes was performed together with a post hoc analysis of the results.

RESULTS

The results of two-way ANOVA showed that both main effects (country and year of study) were statistically significant, as well as their interaction at the 0.05 significance level. The main effect for country was F(3, 596) = 3.591, p < 0.0136 indicating a significant difference in CDI-25 between Slovenia (M = 108.9, SD = 9.2), Russian Federation (M = 107.1, SD = 8.2), China (M = 102.8, SD = 9.7) and Croatia (M = 110.0, SD = 8.6).

CONCLUSIONS

Perceptions of caring in nursing students differ across countries, probably due to different educational systems, curricula, cultural differences and societal values. Implementing caring theories in nursing curricula could help students to cultivate caring during their education.

Professional nurses' experiences of caring for patients in public health clinics in Ekurhuleni, South Africa

Background

Caring for patients is the core aspect of nursing and a cornerstone of all nursing duties. Although caring is seen as a critical component of nursing delivery and an essential characteristic of nursing, there seems to be a gap between theory and practice.

Aim

The aim of this article was to explore and describe the experiences of caring for patients by professional nurses in public health clinics in Ekurhuleni.

Setting

The study was conducted in Ekurhuleni, an area east of the Gauteng Province in two public health clinics.

Methods

A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive phenomenological and contextual research design was used. In-depth, individual phenomenological interviews were conducted with eight purposefully sampled professional nurses to explore their experiences of caring for patients in public health clinics in Ekurhuleni. Data were analysed using Giorgi’s coding method.

Results

Two themes were revealed in the study findings. The first theme was the experienced empowering aspects of caring while the second theme was the experienced disempowering aspects of caring. The experienced empowering aspects of caring had two categories: empowering interpersonal experiences and the empowering experiences through client affirmation. These were identified by the participants as enabling effective caring for patients. The experienced disempowering aspects of caring also had two categories: disempowering interpersonal experiences and the disempowering experiences resulting from public health clinic system challenges. The disempowering aspects were identified by participants as disenabling effective caring for patients.

Conclusion

The study findings reveal that the professional nurses had empowering and disempowering experiences while caring for patients in the public health clinics.

Caring characters and professional identity among graduate nursing students in China-A cross sectional study

BACKGROUND

Caring is recognized as the essence of nursing and the core of nursing practice while a positive professional identity can lead to personal, social and professional fulfillment. Analyzing caring characters and professional identity yields important indications for the improvement of teaching methods. This study aims to explore the graduate nursing students' professional identity and caring characters in China, and analyze their correlation.

METHOD

A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to collect data from 216 graduate nursing students between January and February 2017 in China.

RESULTS

Graduate nursing students perceived they possessed positive caring characters while their professional identity was at a low level. A significant positive correlation was found between the Nursing Caring Characters Assessment Tool and Professional Identity Scale for Nursing Students.

CONCLUSION

Graduate nursing students' professional identity was not satisfactory and one strategy to improve this is to internalize caring into the education process. Nursing educators should focus more on the formation of the students' professional identity and caring as a contributing factor to it.

Faculty-Student Caring Interaction in Nursing Education: An Integrative Review

Introduction: Faculty- student caring relationship in nursing education has been offered as enhancing students’ learning experiences to care , desire to care for others and self-actu­alization. This review therefore was carried out to analyze faculty-student caring interactions in nursing education.

Methods: This concept analysis of caring in the nursing education was conducted based on Broom methodology of integrative review. The literature was consisted of two books from two known theorists, and 47 relevant articles. They retrieved from English data bases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, SCOPUS, and SID, with based on the keywords of caring and "nursing education", during the period 2005-2014.

Results: Caring in nursing education refers to faculty-student interaction based on ethical and human values. The development of values and moral principles in education, flexibility in educational processes, application of objective patterns in learning, and dynamism in educational processes are identified as caring concept attributes in teaching-learning process. This requires environmental support, constant human relationship, and knowing. Internalization of values, achieving self-esteem, peace, and towards human evolution were the main achievements of the concept of caring in nursing education.

Conclusion: The details obtained from the dimensions of "caring" concept in this study could be utilized by nursing education researchers and designers in order to develop content and structure for educational programs.

A comparison of the caring behaviours of nursing students and registered nurses: implications for nursing education

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To compare the respective views of nursing students and registered nurses on caring behaviours.

BACKGROUND

Research has indicated that nursing includes not only technical skills and professional knowledge but also the expression of care. In addition to nursing care, nurses demonstrate the acts of supporting, negotiating, reinforcing and transforming. However, little research simultaneously investigates the caring behaviours of nursing students and registered nurses.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was conducted.

METHODS

A total of 657 subjects participated in this study. The research tool was a self-administered structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, t-test and chi-square test.

RESULTS

The results showed that the most important caring behaviour is 'knowing the patient', while the least is 'advocating for the patient', which includes caring behaviours to respect the patient's and family's best interests, and voicing for them, possibly because this behaviour is more difficult for nurses to practice in the Taiwanese culture. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the caring behaviours between nursing students and registered nurses. However, age was found to be a significant difference in the caring behaviours of nursing students and registered nurses.

CONCLUSION

Caring behaviour is essential in clinical practice. Based on the results, this study suggested that role models should be provided to nursing students to develop proper caring behaviours. Nursing faculty can boost nursing students' interests in learning caring behaviours by incorporating diverse teaching strategies to enhance the effectiveness of caring behaviours.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Much attention should be focused on education about awareness of caring behaviour for both nursing students and nursing staff. This study addressed that nursing administrators and faculty members should emphasise the importance of the essence of caring. Consequently, nursing curricula and training of nurses need to be concerned with implementing caring behaviour in clinical practice.

Comparison of Caring Ability Between Chinese and American Nursing Students

This descriptive comparative study aimed to compare caring ability between Chinese and American nursing students. A survey was conducted in 544 Chinese and 109 American nursing students using Caring Ability Inventory and socio-demographic data sheet. The results indicated that the Chinese nursing students reported significantly lower scores in the Caring Ability Inventory total and three subscales ( p < .001) compared with their American counterpart. Years of program and number of siblings were factors affecting the Caring Ability Inventory scores among Chinese students ( p < .05), whereas program, marital status, prior work experience, and gender were found to influence the Caring Ability Inventory scores of American students ( p < .05). Some gaps and differences between the Chinese and America nursing students’ caring ability were identified. Nurse educator should leverage the influencing factors to strengthen the caring ability of nursing students in both countries.

Principle-based concept analysis: Caring in nursing education

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this principle-based concept analysis was to analyze caring in nursing education and to explain the current state of the science based on epistemologic, pragmatic, linguistic, and logical philosophical principles.

METHODS

A principle-based concept analysis method was used to analyze the nursing literature. The dataset included 46 English language studies, published from 2005 to 2014, and they were retrieved through PROQUEST, MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, SCOPUS, and SID scientific databases. The key dimensions of the data were collected using a validated data-extraction sheet. The four principles of assessing pragmatic utility were used to analyze the data. The data were managed by using MAXQDA 10 software.

RESULTS

The scientific literature that deals with caring in nursing education relies on implied meaning. Caring in nursing education refers to student-teacher interactions that are formed on the basis of human values and focused on the unique needs of the students (epistemological principle). The result of student-teacher interactions is the development of both the students and the teachers. Numerous applications of the concept of caring in nursing education are available in the literature (pragmatic principle). There is consistency in the meaning of the concept, as a central value of the faculty-student interaction (linguistic principle). Compared with other related concepts, such as "caring pedagogy," "value-based education," and "teaching excellence," caring in nursing education does not have exact and clear conceptual boundaries (logic principle).

CONCLUSION

Caring in nursing education was identified as an approach to teaching and learning, and it is formed based on teacher-student interactions and sustainable human values. A greater understanding of the conceptual basis of caring in nursing education will improve the caring behaviors of teachers, create teaching-learning environments, and help experts in curriculum development.

Perceptions matter: faculty caring, campus racial climate and academic performance

AIM

Examine the influence of students' perception of faculty caring on academic performance and the moderating role of students' perceptions of campus racial climate.

BACKGROUND

There is limited knowledge on how students' perceptions of faculty caring, campus racial climate and academic performance are linked. Understanding this nexus is crucial to improving nursing education.

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional data obtained from seven undergraduate nursing programs in Texas, USA.

METHOD

Data were from 385 students enrolled in Medical-Surgical 1 over three semesters (March 2010-December 2010). Six sets of factor analytic scores derived from 31 original perceptions of faculty caring items served as predictors; one set of scores derived from seven original perceptions of campus racial climate items served as moderating variable in a regression model. Numeric grade was the outcome variable.

RESULTS/FINDINGS

Perception of faculty having a positive outlook/compassion had an enhancing effect on performance. As students' perceptions of campus racial climate became increasingly discriminating, the positive association between perceptions of faculty's trust in students' judgment and academic performance became increasingly strong.

CONCLUSION

Results highlight ways by which students' perception of micro-level social reality (dyadic interaction) might interact with their perception of meso-level social reality (social environment) to influence their academic performance.

Using Carl Rogers' person-centered model to explain interpersonal relationships at a school of nursing

Faculty members are viewed as nurturers within the academic setting and may be able to influence students' behaviors through the formation of positive interpersonal relationships. Faculty members' attributes that best facilitated positive interpersonal relationships according to Carl Rogers' Person-Centered Model was studied. Students (n = 192) enrolled in a 3-year undergraduate nursing program in urban Jamaica were randomly selected to participate in this descriptive cross-sectional study. A 38-item questionnaire on interpersonal relationships with nursing faculty and students' perceptions of their teachers was utilized to collect data. Factor analysis was used to create factors of realness, prizing, and empathetic understanding. Multiple linear regression analysis on the interaction of the 3 factors and interpersonal relationship scores was performed while controlling for nursing students' study year and age. One hundred sixty-five students (mean age: 23.18 ± 4.51years; 99% female) responded. The regression model explained over 46% of the variance. Realness (β = 0.50, P < .001) was the only significant predictor of the interpersonal relationship scores assigned by the nursing students. Of the total number of respondents, 99 students (60%) reported satisfaction with the interpersonal relationships shared with faculty. Nursing students' perception of faculty members' realness appeared to be the most significant attribute in fostering positive interpersonal relationships.

Confronting the caring crisis in clinical practice

CONTEXT

In light of the call for humanistic caring in the contemporary health care system globally and in China, the issue of improving the caring skills that are essential to student success, high-quality nursing practice and positive patient outcomes is at the forefront of nursing education.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this mixed-methods quantitative and qualitative study was to investigate baccalaureate nursing students' caring ability in the context of China and to explore the role of clinical practice learning in the development of students' caring skills.

METHODS

A two-phase, descriptive study utilising a mixed methodology consisting of a caring ability survey and focus group interviews was conducted. In the quantitative phase, 598 baccalaureate nursing students at two colleges in Yunnan Province in southwest China were surveyed using the Caring Ability Inventory (CAI). In the qualitative phase, 16 of the students who had participated in the quantitative phase were interviewed.

RESULTS

Students obtained lower scores on the CAI than have been reported elsewhere by other researchers. In addition, students in the clinical stage of training scored lower than students in the pre-clinical stage. Three themes concerning facilitation by and three themes concerning the obstructive effects of clinical practice learning in the development of caring ability were identified. Themes pertaining to facilitation were: (i) promoting a sense of professional responsibility and ethics; (ii) providing an arena in which to practise caring, and (iii) learning from positive role models. Themes pertaining to obstruction were: (i) a critical practice learning environment; (ii) encountering inappropriate clinical teachers, and (iii) experiencing shock at the contrast between an idealised and the real environment.

CONCLUSIONS

The key to developing students' ability to care lies in highlighting caring across the entire health care system. By diminishing exposure to negative role models, and adopting appropriate pedagogical ideas about education in caring, such as truth telling and helping students to think in a critical manner, educators can help students to improve their caring ability.

Baccalaureate nursing students' perspectives on learning about caring in China: a qualitative descriptive study

BACKGROUND

The need to provide humanistic care in the contemporary healthcare system is more imperative now and the importance of cultivating caring in nursing education is urgent. Caring as the primary work of nursing has been discussed extensively, such as the meaning of caring, and teaching and learning strategies to improve nursing students' caring ability. Yet attempts to understand students' perspectives on learning about caring and to know their learning needs are seldom presented. The aim of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the baccalaureate nursing students' perspectives on learning about caring in China.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive study using focus group interviews were undertaken in two colleges in Yunnan Province, China from February 2010 to April 2010. Purposeful sampling of 20 baccalaureate nursing students were recruited. Content analysis of the transcribed data was adopted to identify the themes.

RESULTS

Four categories with some sub-categories related to students' perspectives on learning about caring were identified from the data: 1) Learning caring by role model; 2) conducive learning environment as the incentive to the learning about caring; 3) lack of directive substantive way of learning as the hindrance to the learning about caring; 4) lack of cultural competency as the barrier to the learning about caring.

CONCLUSIONS

Both caring and uncaring experiences can promote the learning about caring in a way of reflective practice. The formal, informal and hidden curricula play an important role in the learning about caring. Cultural awareness, sensitivity and humility are important in the process of learning to care in a multicultural area.