A qualitative exploration of Irish nursing students' experiences of caring for the dying patient.
Philip Hardie, Catherine McCabe, Fiona Timmins and 1 others
PMID 37277985WHAT IT FOUND
Seven Irish nursing students described feeling unprepared for end-of-life care, citing anxiety about communicating with families and witnessing undignified treatment.
They requested practical, timely education before placements rather than late lectures, highlighting gaps in current training.
Key findings
01Students reported feeling emotionally distressed and unprepared, with some describing witnessing undignified care such as patients being treated like 'a piece of meat' during resuscitation.
02Communication with families and patients was identified as the most challenging aspect, with students fearing they would say the wrong thing or lack confidence to answer prognosis questions.
03Participants criticized the timing and format of their education, noting that end-of-life lectures often occurred after their first clinical exposure to death and relied on didactic methods rather than practical simulation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used a small, purposive sample of seven students from a single university, which limits the transferability of the findings to the broader nursing student population. All participants were female and White Irish, restricting the diversity of perspectives captured. The findings reflect the experiences of students in one specific educational context and may not apply to other countries or curricula.
Declared interests
None declared. No specific funding was received.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that current nursing education is universally failing or that specific interventions will improve student outcomes. The study describes the subjective experiences of a very small, homogeneous group of students and does not measure the effectiveness of any educational strategies.