Reflections and learning of undergraduate nursing students at an ethics conference during psychiatric nursing training

Abstract

We held an ethics conference for students in undergraduate nursing programs during psychiatric nursing training. We then conducted semi-structured interviews to clarify the reflections and learning of ten students who participated in the conference. We generated 71 subcategories that fell into the following 9 categories: [difficulty in interpreting ethics conference methodology], [acquisition of ethical thought with an understanding of ethics principles], [acquisition of multifaceted thought through the acknowledgement of competing opinions within oneself], [understanding of ethical dilemmas existing in nursing practice], [affirmation of the ethics conference], [changes in ethical thinking after the ethics conference], [changes in ethical behavior during practical training in mental health nursing after the ethics conference], [application of lessons learned at the ethics conference to other field training and lectures in other subjects], and [distress about not being able to apply ethics conference to practice]. The students also learned about ethical dilemmas in nursing practice at the ethics conference. The students acquired multifaceted thought at the ethics conference and changed behaviors related to ethics in their own nursing interventions.