Philippine E-Journals

Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Caring: A Phenomenological Study

Cecilia C. Yasa | Lydia D. Gonzales

 

Abstract:

Caring is the art and heart of nursing practice. It is what the patients want most from professional nurses and, as such, defines the role and responsibilities of nursing within the health care system.Caring is generally recognized as a mutual human process with identifiable behaviors, and since it is a subjective experience, ways of caring are communicated through the nurse's presence and interaction with the client. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of caring by the nursing students. The study followed a phenomenological approach in which 27 nursing students from Level IV were interviewed, focusing on their shared experiences. Data were analyzed following Colaizzi's (1978) approach. Colaizzi's method of data analysis is an approach to interpreting qualitative research data, to identify meaningful information and organize it into themes or categories. Significant views and opinions pertaining to the respondent’s experiences of caring interactions with their clients were collected. These statements were then categorized according to the five main themes which emerged from the study: self-sacrifice, therapeutic use of the self, equal treatment to all, compassionate care, and trusting relationship. The five themes generally contribute to knowledge development about how student nurses experience caring during their interactions with patients. The said caring in this study, has included descriptions of behaviors in caring for patients in different settings; the caring approach nursing students use when having difficult encounters with patients and their families, and the respondents’ personal meaning of caring. The five themes described in this study expand an understanding of the nursing students' experience in taking care of patients. The results of this study, though, cannot be generalized, but could serve as a basis for further research, on which to base the development of a nursing framework, with caring at the core of management. Further studies are also needed that will help educators better enhance caring within nursing education.