Nursing Students’ Experience During Their Practicum in an Intensive Care Unit

−Qualitative Research Through Students’ Interviews−

Abstract

〔Aims〕This study aims to identify the nursing students’ experiences of comprehending critically ill patients in the Intensive Care Unit.

〔Methods〕Data for this study were collected from March 2018 to May 2018. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five nursing students who participated in acute care nursing practice in the ICU. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data.

〔Results〕Nursing students’ experiences included “perceiving the patient based on patients’ appearance and their own previous experience”, “recognizing their own ambiguity and the negative impact on the patient”, “knowing how to interact safely with the patient eases fear and tension” and “understanding the patient and changing how they perceive the patient”.

〔Conclusions〕Despite differences in the conditions of the critically ill patients received by the nursing students, the experiences of the nursing students were generally similar. The nursing students’ experiences bridged the gap between the students’ assumptions of a “normal patient” and a critically ill patient. Through this experience, the nursing students also became aware of the critically ill patient as an “object of care”. The instructors knowledge of the students’ experiences help facilitate students’ learning to understand patients in critical care area practice.