A Study To Exploring Nursing Students’ Lived Experiences In Pediatric Clinical Practice In A Selected College, Chennai
Submitted by Kogila P.
Tags: clinical experience nursing students pediatric pediatrics
In pediatric clinical practice students may experience additional stresses and challenges due to children’s pre-developed cognitive and communication abilities. Thus, objective of this study was undertaken, to explore nursing students’ lived experiences of pediatric clinical practice.This study applied Husserlian phenomenological approach to explore undergraduate nursing students’ lived experiences who had completed a practicum for pediatric nursing in the academic year (2013). The study sample comprised of 10 students, were divided into 2groups, For each group three 30-minute sessions were conducted, a focus group method used to collect the data by purposive sampling technique by semi structured group interviews with broad open-ended questionnaires to gain rich information and data analyzed by Colaizzi’s method.
Research results indicated that lived experiences of nursing students included one main theme & four sub themes:explore the lived experiences of nursing students in a pediatric practicum; feelings and challenges by interaction with sick child/families, sharpening comprehensive knowledge and skills, consolidating working attitudes and beliefs, and suffering from non-supportive relationships. Research results provides, Students felt that clinical practice provided them with opportunities to decrease the theory-knowledge gap and enhance their confidence with their clinical skills and importance of cooperation among nursing&medical team members to better working atmosphere and patient care.students felt very stressful at the beginning when interaction with sick children and their families. Thus, clinical teachers firstly should demonstrate children’s cognitive developments, therapeutic play into nursing care activities to decrease students’ frustrations. Secondly, clinical teachers should teach how to apply the family-centered care and communication skills into clinical situations to enhance the quality of nursing care. The results of this research can serve as a reference for nursing teachers to design appropriate courses for pediatric nursing curriculum.