2020 Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 108-120
The purpose of this study was to explore the results gained for nursing training program by nursing students who experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake who participated in a specialized disaster nursing program, that focused on changes in thinking and behavior among the participants. Semi-structured consented interviews were conducted with five program participants between February and March 2016. Semi-structured interviews were based on an interview guide and contained questions about reflections on impressive events and people, learning and changes in oneself. Data was qualitatively and inductively analyzed. Students’ experiences comprised six major categories. Students who participated in the training felt “anxiety of performance” before starting the training, “puzzled” during the training and like they had “learning how to face and deal with difficult difficulties” after the training. Students also became aware of “Self-improvement”, noticed “a deepening of the nursing”, gained “greater expectations for the possibility of a nursing job”. This training aimed for the future and what to do in order to motivate nursing students who experienced a major disaster grow as leaders in the area of disaster nursing care. This study also looked at impact of the disaster on their career choices, such as aiming for a more advanced medical profession to be able to play more active role in the event of a disaster, and improvement in the score of Fundamental Competencies for Working Persons’ self-evaluation was also recognized after this training. All four students who were able to follow up chose a course related to disaster / international nursing.
