Nursing Students' Perspectives on Assisting Cancer Patients

WITHDRAWN: "The closest touch to death in psychiatric nursing practice": Experiences of nursing students in a psycho-oncology unit

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Nursing students' self-assessed level of nursing skills at the time of graduation in a Japanese University: A retrospective observational study

Objective

This study aimed to clarify nursing students' self-assessed levels of nursing skills at a nursing university at graduation and discuss how education and clinical experiences for students and post-licensure nurses should be improved, especially focusing on oncology nursing.

Methods

The study population comprised fourth-year students from 2017 to 2019 at the Faculty of Health Science and Nursing, Juntendo University, who had completed all stipulated clinical placements. The Japanese government determined 141 nursing skills and their target levels. Students subjectively evaluated their achieved levels for the 141 nursing skills after the final clinical placement.

Results

Of the 141 nursing skills, 81 (57%) were rated as "skills with easy-to-achieve targets" and five were rated as "skills with difficult-to-achieve targets." All nursing skills in the two subcategories of environmental adjustment skills and comfort management skills were rated as "skills with easy-to-achieve targets." Nursing skills with low target achievement rates were for patients with oral intake difficulties, unstable respiratory status, and those requiring glycemic control. These skills are also important in oncology nursing.

Conclusions

It cannot be concluded that the nursing university students fully achieved the target levels of nursing skills, as determined by the Japanese government. These findings may facilitate discussions on teaching nursing skills and their target levels at the time of graduation from nursing universities or post-employment.

Palliative Care Education and Serious Illness Communication Training for Baccalaureate Nursing Students

BACKGROUND

Palliative care is an essential component of community health for a growing population of seriously ill older adults residing in the community. Yet, nursing students are often challenged in initiating and engaging in serious illness conversations.

PURPOSE

This study implemented and evaluated an educational activity designed to increase nursing students' skills and self-efficacy to initiate and conduct conversations with patients/clients experiencing serious illness.

METHODS

A mixed-methods approach was used to study how statement cards and prompts facilitated students' readiness to engage in such conversations. A quantitative pre- and posttest survey was used to evaluate self-efficacy and students' perception of their ability to engage in challenging conversations.

RESULTS

The results indicated a significant increase in student confidence in conducting serious illness conversations.

CONCLUSION

Students reported an improved perception of their ability to conduct serious illness conversations and emphasized the need to practice these conversations in clinical practice.

Examining Nursing Students' Perspectives on Cancer through Metaphors in Turkey

This study was conducted to reveal the perceptions of cancer through metaphors among second-year nursing students. This study utilized descriptive phenomenology, which is a qualitative research design. In order to reveal the metaphors that each nursing student (n = 65) considered for the concept of "cancer," they were asked to complete the following sentence: "Cancer is like ……, because ……". In analyzing the data, a content analysis approach comprising coding, the identification of themes, and grouping of data according to codes and themes was used. It was found that the nursing students produced 44 different metaphors. With the groupings made from the students' perspectives on cancer, categories of "crime/punishment," "fear/anxiety/pain," "uncertainty," "uncontrollability," and "struggle/hope" were identified. In particular, the students' metaphors of "test," "fight," "unwanted friend," "love," "naughty child," "thief," and "trouble" for the concept of cancer came to the fore. It is recommended to improve clinical education to develop positive attitudes among nursing students toward cancer.

Empathic approach to reducing the negative attitudes of nursing undergraduate students towards cancer

BACKGROUND

In cases where even professional nurses have difficulty in giving care to cancer patients, student nurses may not be able to provide adequate care and sometimes develop a negative behavior or attitude towards this patient group.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the attitudes of nursing undergraduate students towards cancer and the empathic approach.

DESIGN

The study was carried out using the cross-sectional research design.

SETTINGS

A university located in the southeast of Turkey between November-December 2020.

PARTICIPANTS

Nursing students from one Turkey nursing school.

METHODS

The research data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Questionnaire for Measuring Attitudes towards Cancer (Cancer Stigma) (QMAC) - Community Version, and Jefferson's Empathy Scale for Nursing Students (JESNS).

RESULTS

240 students volunteered to participate in the study, and the rate of the students' response to the questionnaires was 52%. Of all the nursing students, 66.2% of them were female; 45.4% had a moderate perception of their economic status; 94.2% had no chronic disease; 90.4% had no family history regarding cancer; 67.9% had never been in an oncology clinic, and 59.2 of them had received training on empathy. When nursing students' attitudes towards cancer were examined, it was seen that empathic approach (β = -0.291; p < .01) and chronic disease treatment received (β = 0.174; p = .005) were found to be significant predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

The results revealed that the nursing undergraduate students' negative perception of cancer decreased as their empathic skills increased. In addition, the students' receiving treatment for chronic diseases increased their negative perception of cancer. In order to reduce the negative attitudes of nursing students towards cancer, more trainings, lectures and seminars or clinical skills training regarding the development of empathic skills could be included in the undergraduate nursing curriculum.

Nursing Student Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Patients With Cancer After Education and Mentoring: Integrative Review

BACKGROUND

Knowledge about nursing student attitudes toward patients with cancer after an educational intervention and mentoring support is limited. This review examined the literature on this topic.

OBJECTIVE

This integrative review aims to explore the literature on the experiences of students who participate in an oncology elective or educational course on cancer and their attitudes toward cancer.

METHODS

A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, and MEDLINE databases. Each study was systematically assessed. An evidence table was completed to identify the key aspects of each study that was reviewed.

RESULTS

There is insufficient information on the impact of nursing student education on the attitudes and skills of nursing students caring for patients with cancer. An integrative review was completed on the impact of education and mentoring for nursing students on cancer care, which yielded 10 studies that were reviewed. These studies indicate that educational intervention and mentoring improve the confidence and ability of nursing students to care for patients with cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Student nurses need to be armed with knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes while caring for patients with cancer. Nursing students perform best when they have accurate information, positive role models, and mentoring by experienced oncology professionals, to support proficiency in caring for patients with cancer. The lack of knowledge of nursing students in the areas of cancer care, treatment, and patient support requires additional education and research to promote expertise and positive attitudes toward cancer and treating patients with cancer. This will support nursing students' ability to care for patients with cancer as well as develop future educational interventions to shape nursing student attitude and knowledge. This integrative review also identifies the positive impact on the attitudes of other health care professionals who have received training or education on cancer.

Recognizing the Need for Oncology Education in Canadian Baccalaureate Nursing Programs

There is a critical need for quality oncology education in Canadian baccalaureate nursing programs considering the vast amount of cancer diagnoses and deaths in the Canadian population, as well as the likelihood that all nurses will care for oncology patients in various settings. The incidence and mortality of cancer within the Canadian population impact the need to incorporate an all-inclusive view of cancer care into baccalaureate nursing curriculums and develop nurse leaders in oncology at this level. Currently, Canadian nursing programs are generalist programs and provide little oncology content especially in the clinical setting. It is essential that baccalaureate nursing programs examine strategies to incorporate a comprehensive view of cancer care into programs to ensure that baccalaureate nursing students meet the entry to practice competencies to care for patients across the cancer care trajectory.