Laura Gilpin, Brigham Young University
Nursing
Purpose/Aims: The purpose of this pilot study was (1) to examine nursing students’ perceptions of their first experience with death in the clinical setting and (2) to determine if curricular changes are necessary to better prepare nursing students effectively cope with their first death experience as a nurse. Background: Death, particularly the unexpected death of a patient, is an emotionally charged, high-stress situation for any nurse. Nursing students encounter scenarios involving death and dying in simulation laboratories, as well as in the clinical setting. In simulation settings debriefing is routinely accomplished and is seen as a critical component of the learning experience. However, Leavy and colleagues (2011) found that even during formal simulation debriefing sessions nursing students were not able to fully process their emotions In real-life clinical settings, the stakes are even higher as nursing students must be able to effectively cope with the death of a patient. Unfortunately, research on students’ first experience with death is limited. Huang and colleagues (2010) found students may not receive adequate support from clinical nursing instructors during the dying process and after a patient’s death. Methods: This was a descriptive mixed methods pilot study. An online anonymous survey was sent to students in the Brigham Young University College of Nursing regarding their first experience with death in the clinical setting (N=306). Students were e-mailed a brief description of the research project and an invitation to participate in the study only if they had experienced the death of a patient. Completion of the online questionnaire implied consent. The participants answered 5 demographic questions and 11 survey questions with the estimated time commitment for each participant being 15 minutes. Results: The online questionnaire was sent to 306 BSN nursing students Approximately 10% initially responded (N=33). A smaller group (N=25) completed the entire survey. Qualitative comments from nursing students who experienced the death of their patient included feeling sad, shocked and uncomfortable. Fifty percent of the nursing students did not receive any debriefing from their clinical instructor following the event.